The Girl Who Lived
by Dr. Huff-Puff
Summary: A crossover between Harry Potter and The 10th Kingdom. Lia is Harry's cousin who suvived Voldemort's attack just like Harry did. She lived with her mother for 17 years. She gets a letter to attend Hogwarts at the age of 25.
1. Owl post

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own The 10th Kingdom or Harry Potter. The 10th Kingdom characters belong to Simon Moore and Hallmark Entertainment. The Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

Characters that you don't recognize are my own.

**Chapter One - Owl post**

Lia woke up at 3:00 AM breathing hard and sweating. She had seen the same dream again. Her boyfriend dead, and her mother screaming and running toward her. Covering her with her body and laying heavily upon her. Her heart ached. The pain was horrible. It has been like this since the day that she got that scar on left side of her chest. She put her hand on the scar that was shaped like a thunder bolt and it felt warm. She didn't know what it meant. She remembered the horrible day that she received that scar.

_It was Christmas Eve. Lia and her mother were preparing dinner and were waiting for Lia's boyfriend to arrive. She was going to introduce him to her mother, and thought that Christmas Eve was the best time to do that. At __eleven o'clock__ they heard the doorbell. Lia ran and opened the door. It was him._

_They had dinner together. Lia was happy that her mother greeted John politely and liked him. Lia couldn't ask for a better present for Christmas. She was there having a great time with the two persons whom she loved. But her happiness didn't last for long. As the clock announced that it was __midnight__, they heard a nock on the door. Lia's mother Emily was surprised. She wasn't waiting for anyone. She didn't have any relatives there (her Muggle husband's relatives never visited them after his death four years ago), and Lia didn't invite anyone else. Emily Potter-Jones got up and headed toward the door. She looked out from the window that was located beside the door. A man wearing a black cloak stood there, his face hidden under the hood. Emily recognized the man's origin. He was a wizard. She went to her room and brought her wand. She came back and saw the door already opened. John was lying in a pool of blood and Lia laying on his body and crying. The man raised his wand at Lia._

_Lia heard her mother calling something that sounded like Latin. And saw the stick in the man's hand fly. Her mother told her to run to the back yard. Out of the house. Lia obeyed and ran. When she reached the kitchen, she heard windows breaking and screams in a language that she couldn't understand. She returned to the living room and saw her mother caught in a fight with the mysterious man. Flashes of green and red were coming out of the sticks, which were in the hands of her mother and that man._

_The man noticed Lia standing near the door and turned toward her. He took a few steps and raise his wand. He aimed and Lia saw her mother jumping between them and on her. They fell on the ground together. She felt her mother's heavy but warm body on her. She didn't move. Lia shook her mother but there was no response. Her mother wasn't breathing. She was dead. She moved her mother to a side and saw the man standing in front of her. She still couldn't see his face. But she knew that he was smiling. He raise his wand at her again and repeated the same Latin words that he used before killing her mother. All that she remembered after that was a green light._

It wasn't the first time that Lia remembered that horrible Christmas Eve. She remembered waking up at the hospital alone. There was no one to be with her. The police couldn't find the person who did it. The house was empty when the police arrived.

At that time she was 17 years old. Now at 25 she didn't have anything but her German Shepherd dog Rex. She spent a year at the orphanage and when she turned 18, she was forced to leave. The owner of her house was back and now she didn't have a place to go. Why was everything going wrong? She didn't know. After leaving the orphanage she found a job as a nanny at a rich family. She lived with them. But after a few months, the father of the child that she was taking care of raped her and she ran away from that house. She spent many nights on the streets, until one day a woman offered her an apartment. It was abandoned for a long time. Lia could tell that from the cobwebs all around it. The woman was so nice to help her with the cleaning, but as soon as she was finished she left and Lia didn't see her anymore. The old lady left her puppy with Lia before she left. She told her to take care of him. Now Rex was Lia's only friend and family. She spent so many hungry and cold nights. She didn't have a job and her apartment was returning to its old form.

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Rex saw her sitting on her bed, her eyes closed and her hand on her chest. He knew that she was in pain. There were nights when Lia would lose consciousness because of it. He got up on the bed and put his head on her lap. Lia opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"I'm fine Rex. It's just a little pain that's all. I'll be fine." She said and stroke his head. Rex looked at her without making a sound. He stared in her eyes as to tell her that he'll be there for her. "Wanna sleep beside me?" she asked him and he understood. It has been like this for seven years. Whenever her heart would hurt, Rex came and slept next to her so she would feel safe. Lia thought that the mysterious man would be back again to kill her. But it never happened. When was she going to die and have her long rest? She missed her parents, and her boyfriend. She missed having friends. She missed school. She lost it all. Life lost its meaning for her. She had nothing to live for.

She lay on her bed and Rex next to her, his head on her stomach. She looked out of the window. It was a bright night. The sky clear and she could see the stars and the moon. She noticed a small black figure approaching. She sat up. The figure came closer and stood on her windowsill. It was an owl with an envelope in its beak. The own flew to her bed and stood there staring at her holding its leg up as to tell her to take the envelope. Lia took the yellow envelope and read the address on it, which was written in emerald green.

_Lia Jones_

_Bedroom_

_Marx street 14_

_Yerevan, Armenia_

Lia was surprised to get such a letter. And it was addressed to her bedroom! She opened it and took out the letter and read:

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HOGWARTS SCHOOL _of _WITCHCRAFT _and _WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)_

Dear Miss Jones,

We are pleased to inform you that after a long time search you have been found and accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. Considering your current age, you will attend a special scheduled course and practice. A school representative will escort you to England, where you will be able to buy all necessary books and equipment at Diagon Alley, and to King's Cross where you'll ride Hogwarts Express at platform nine and three-quarters. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

_Deputy headmistress_

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Lia read the letter twice. "School of witchcraft and wizardry? I'm not in a fairytale, am I?" she asked herself. The owl made a sound of agreement and nuzzled her hand. Rex didn't seem to be disturbed by the appearance of the owl. He just stared at it like they knew each other for a long time.

"Hey Rex, they're inviting me to England to study! Can you believe that?" she said and took out the other paper and read:

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HOGWARTS SCHOOL _of _WITCHCRAFT _and _WIZARDRY

**Uniform**

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all clothes should carry name tags.

**Course books**

All first year students should have a copy of the following:

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) _by Miranda Goshawk

_A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot

_Magical Theory_ by Adalbert Waffling

_A beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_ by Emeric Switch

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ by Phyllida Spore

_Magical Drafts and Potions_ by Arsenius Jigger

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_ by Quentin Trimble

**Other equipment**

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

**Note:**

First years are not allowed their own broomsticks. But, considering your age we are making an exception. You may bring a broomstick of your choice.

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Lia stared at the weird letter. She read the names of the required books. They didn't seem logical. Something wasn't right. And how was she supposed to buy all that stuff? She didn't have money to buy food, not to mention buying all that stuff! She put the letter on the little table beside her bed and looked at the owl.

"Now, how am I supposed to send an owl?" she asked. The owl flew to her desk and stood on a paper. Lia got up and went to the desk.

"Hey! You can understand what I'm saying?" the owl pushed the paper to her direction. Lia sat on a chair and took her pen and started to write:

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Dear Ms. McGonagall,

Thank you for your letter. Although I am very interested to attend your school, but unfortunately I cannot accept your invitation. I cannot afford to buy all the required books and equipment and that is the main reason for rejecting your offer. The only thing that I have is the required pet, but it is a dog. A German Shepherd. I have allergy to cats, and I don't like toads. Owls are birds and I don't like to keep a bird as a pet.

Please accept my apology for rejecting your invitation.

Sincerely,

Lia Jones

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Lia read her letter a couple of times and put it in an envelope. "Now how am I supposed to send this?" she asked the owl and it took the letter from her hand and flew out of the window.  
"Well, that was fast." Lia said and went back to bed.


	2. The visitor

****

Chapter two - The visitor

She woke up at 10 o'clock. Rex was playing with his teddy bear toy, which was ripped into pieces. She went to the bathroom and took a shower. After that she got dressed and went to the kitchen. That's when she remembered that she didn't have anything to eat.

"Damn! Why do I keep forgetting?" she asked herself. Suddenly she heard a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" she asked from inside.

"Remus Lupin. I am searching for Miss Lia Jones." The man replied.

Lia opened the door and saw a tall man standing there. "Hello. I'm Lia. Please come in." She said.

"Thank you." Remus replied and went inside. The poor look of her house said everything. She didn't have money for living. At least it was clean. He didn't expect to see her in such situation though.

"Have a seat. I'm sorry I can't offer you anything to drink. I've got nothing here."

Remus smiled and sat on a chair that cracked when he sat on it. He hoped that it wouldn't break.

"So, how did you find me? And who are you exactly?" Lia asked.

"I represent Hogwarts. School of…"

"Yeah I know." Lia interrupted him. "I am so sorry, but it seems that you didn't get my letter yet. I wrote that I am not interested in attending your school."

"But why? Only because you can't afford to buy the books?" Remus asked.

"Yeah."

"You can't buy them using Muggle money anyway." Remus said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Muggle money? What's that?"

"The kind of money that you use."

"Well, I didn't see the face of money for several months now. And I can't remember how they look like."

Remus looked at her. "You know, you look just like your mother." He said.

"What? How do you know my mom?"

"Your uncle was my best friend. And we went to school together. She was three years older than us."

"I have an uncle?"

"Not anymore, unfortunately. But you have a cousin."

Lia put her hand on her chest. Her scar felt warm again. What could this mean? She had a cousin that she didn't know that she ever had.

"Where is she?" she asked in a low voice.

"_He_ lives at his aunt's house in England." Remus replied. He saw her rubbing the left side of her chest. '_Does she have a problem with her heart?_' he thought.

"Oh, he. I thought it was a girl." Lia smiled. "Umm, does he go to Hogwarts?"

"Yes. He has just graduated from the fifth year."

"So that makes him fifteen?"

"Pardon me?"

"I mean, is he fifteen years old?"

"Oh, yes. And he's such a brilliant boy. He will be happy to find out that he has a cousin." Remus smiled.

"But I can't go to school. I already told you why. Besides, what is this witch and wizard thing all about anyway?"

"You don't know?" Remus asked.

"Know what?"

"I mean, didn't Emily tell you anything about the magical world?"

"Magical world? There's no such thing as magic." Lia replied.

"Oh yes there is. I come from there." Remus said, "You'll be able to enjoy magic when you start Hogwarts. And you'll learn everything there."

"But why me?"

"You are a witch. Just like your mother."

"My mom was a witch? What about my dad?"

"He was a Muggle."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lia said angrily.

"We call non-magical humans Muggles."

"Oh, Okay." Lia calmed herself as soon as she knew that he wasn't offending her father. "So, how am I supposed to buy everything?"

"Your mother has left you some amount of money at Gringotts. The wizard bank."

"A wizard bank?"

"Yes."

"When am I supposed to go there?"

"You can come now if you want. You can spend the summer with your cousin. You have a couple of months before the term starts."

Lia felt her scar get warm again. "What if he doesn't accept me?" she asked while putting her hand on her scar.

"He misses his family. And you are a part of it. No one knew that you exist. Your mother lived here with your father because he asked her to cut all her relations with the world of magic. His family didn't like wizards and to keep their marriage, your mother chose to live as a Muggle."

"So, that's why no one came to visit us after my dad died. They never liked my mother!"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Okay. One more thing, in the letter it said that I can only have an owl, a cat or a toad as a pet."

"I've read your reply. And you are allowed to bring your dog with you. As long as it behaves itself."

"Oh he's so good. Let me call him. Rex! Come here boy!" Lia called and Rex came dashing from the room. He started to bark at Remus and then he jumped on him and started to lick his face, his tail waving to the sides.

"See? He likes you already." Lia said happily.

"Yeah, he's nice." Remus said and gently pushed the dog away. He stroke the back of Rex's ears. Rex waved his tail again and lay right in front of Remus's feet. "So, are you ready to go?" he asked her.

"Yeah, just let me pack my bag." Lia said and went to her room. She took her bag out from under her bed and started to pack. She put her clothes in it and then went to the bathroom and brought everything she needed from there. After finishing she took the bag and went back to the living room. She put a collar around Rex's neck.

"We're ready." She said.

"Alright. You can lock the door now." Remus said.

"Aren't we supposed to get out first?"

"No. We are going to use a portkey. It's faster and safer."

Lia thought that this was weird. But she didn't say anything. She went and locked the door from inside. Remus got up and took out his wand and a little wizard statue from his pocket.

"Hey! My mom had a stick just like that!" Lia said as soon as she saw the wand.

"Do you have it?" Remus asked.

"Yeah. Wait, let me get it." She went back to her room and brought the wand. "Here it is."

Remus took it and looked at it. He saw three letters engraved on the handle. "_M.E.L._" he gave the wand back to Lia. "Bring this with you. It's a wand. And may I ask you, what's your fathers name?" he asked her.

"Mathew." Lia replied.

"I see. So those letters stand for Mathew, Emily and Lia, I suppose."

"Maybe. I first saw it when…" Lia couldn't continue. Her eyes filled with tears and she felt a sudden pain in her heart. She bent and put her hand on her chest.

"Lia are you alright?" Remus held her quickly and helped her to sit.

"Yeah, I guess so. It happens all the time since the day I…" she started to cry.

"Shh. It's alright. Everything will be fine now. We will take you to the hospital when we get there. I'm sure there's nothing wrong with your heart."

"It's… not… my heart." Lia said. "It's my scar." She lowered the neck of her T-shirt and Remus saw the bolt-shaped scar.

"Blimey! It's just the same." He said.

Lia straitened her T-shirt and said, "Same as what?" she wiped her tears.

"Your cousin has the same scar. Only it's on his forehead. And it gives him pain too."

"Really?"

"Yes. It hurts him when You-Know-Who is close."

"Who am I supposed to know?" Lia knew nothing about Voldemort.

"The Dark Lord. The one who gave him that scar. You know what? We'll ask Professor Dumbledore about your scar. Maybe he'll know how you got it."

Lia took a deep breath. It was always hard for her to remember. "I got it on Christmas Eve. The night when my mom was killed."

Remus stared at her and didn't say a word. Voldemort gave her the scar just like he did to Harry. "Let's go now." He said.

He put the wizard statue on the table. And clicked it once with his wand. A blue light flashed around the statue for a moment and faded as quickly as it started.

"Now, you hold on to your dog with one hand and to me with the other. I will hold your bag. And no matter what, don't let go." Remus said. Lia did as she was told. She held Rex's collar with one hand and held Remus's coat with the other. Remus took her bag and with his other hand he touched the statue. Lia felt her stomach turning around. She felt strange. She was so scared that she closed her eyes tightly. Rex whimpered a little bit, but soon his whimpers were replaced with barks. Lia could feel a solid ground under her feet again.

"You can open your eyes now." She heard Remus telling her. She opened her eyes and saw herself in another place. It was a dark room, lit only by a few candles.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"This is the house of my friend. He died about a month ago." Remus said.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Lia said.

"He died while defending your cousin."

Lia looked at him in a shock. "Defending? What happened?"

They sat on the couch and Remus told her how Sirius got killed by his own cousin Bellatrix. Lia was now in a complete shock and her scar started to burn at the mention of the Death Eater's name.

"That's horrible! How could she do something like that? And to her own cousin! She must be a beast!" she said.

"She is. And the worst thing is that we couldn't capture her."

"How awful! And where is she now?"

"No body knows. She disappeared with You-Know-Who."

"What is his name anyway? This You-Know-Who guy."

"Voldemort."

"And why do you keep saying 'You-Know-Who'?"

"No one dares to say his name in public. Everyone is afraid of him. He kills anyone who stands on his way."

"Just like the man who killed my mom."

"He killed your mother, Lia." Remus said in a calm but sad voice.

"Just like he killed my uncle?"

"Yes."

"When was that?"

"Fourteen years ago. Harry was only one year old at that time. He doesn't remember anything from that night."

"Who's Harry?"

"Your cousin. Oh forgive me. I didn't tell you his name." Remus smiled.

"Harry." Lia repeated. "Nice name. What does he look like?"

"Sirius had his photo somewhere around the house. I'll get it for you." Remus went out of the room and came back after a few minutes.

Lia took the photo and looked at the boy in the picture. He looked like her a little bit. They had the same cheek bones and chin. Their eyes were different. Harry had green eyes and Lia had hazel eyes. Just like her father.

"Hey! He moves! What kind of a photo is this?" She asked.

"Wizard photos. They always move."

She looked at the photo again and smiled, "He's cute. When can I meet him?"

"I'll send him an owl, and we'll know when and where the two of you can meet."


	3. Cousins

****

Chapter three - Cousins

It all happened so fast. Lia never thought that she would leave the place that she used to call home. She was going to become a witch just like her mother. Remus showed her a room on the second floor and he left to write a letter to Harry. Lia unpacked her bag and took out her mother's wand. She held it in her hand and stared at it for a while. '_I wonder how do they use it._' she waved the wand toward the door and it was opened.

"Wow!" she got up and went to check the door lock. She closed the door and went back a few steps. She waved the wand at the door again and she jumped in surprise of her achievement.

"Oh my God! I did it!" She shouted as she jumped.

Remus came running to the room and stood at the door staring at Lia's strange behavior. "Lia, are you alright?" he asked.

"Oh, Mr. Lupin! I just opened the door with my mother's stick!" she showed him the wand.

"Lia, it is dangerous to play with a wand without knowing how to use it." Lupin said with a serious expression on his face.

"Well, I wasn't playing. But anyway, I didn't know it was dangerous." Lia replied and gave the wand to Remus. "Here, keep it with you. I think it'll be better that way."

"No. It is yours. No one else can use it. Your mother has put a charm on it. Those letters." He pointed to the letters on the wand. "It means that only she could use that wand along with you and your father. Although, your father was a Muggle, but she insisted that it's a necessity to put his name on it too. Wave your wand in a circle motion in the air."

Lia waved the wand in the air and a white smoke got out of it. The smoke took the shape of letters and Lia could read a message:

__

This wand belongs to Emily Potter-Jones, Mathew Jones and Lia Jones. Any other person who uses this wand for evil purposes will be demented.

"It sounds like a curse to me." Lia said. She kept looking at the message, which started to fade. A sad smile formed on her lips.

"Well, you can't curse a wand. So, a charm is the correct word." Remus told her.

"She wrote that message." Lia said without paying attention to Remus's words. "I miss her." Her eyes filled with tears, but she wiped them quickly.

Remus smiled at her and asked, "Are you hungry?"

"Not really." She lied. "I think it would be better if I stay here to unpack."

As a werewolf, Remus could tell when people were lying. "Alright. I'll see you downstairs at the kitchen in five minutes." He winked at her and got out of the room.

Lia took a deep breath and sat on her bed. Rex was lying in one corner, and as soon as he saw that Lia was sitting on the bed, he got up and came to her. He put his head on her lap and whimpered.

"I'm fine Rex. I'm fine. Don't worry." She stroke his head. "You can go downstairs and see if Mr. Lupin has something for you." Rex raise his head and tilted it to a side.

"Yeah, go to the kitchen. You'll get to eat." Lia said with a smile. Rex ran outside of the room and went downstairs. She went to open the window. Before she could open the curtains, Remus came in.

"I wouldn't recommend that." Remus said.

Lia jumped. "You scared me!" she said angrily.

"Sorry. But this house is supposed to be invisible. So, even if you open the window, you won't be able to enjoy the scene outside."

"Invisible?"

"Yes. Sirius used to live here, and the Ministry used to think that he's a criminal. So, he was hiding here. And Professor Dumbledore decided to keep this house invisible even after Sirius died."

"Dumbledore? Oh, the headmaster."

"Yes. Now come with me to the kitchen. I asked you to come, but instead you sent your dog." Remus said.

"Well, I…"

"It's not the time to be shy. We are going to live here together. Well, unless Dumbledore decides otherwise."

"Okay." Lia said and followed him.

They went downstairs and as they reached the first floor Remus turned and put his finger on his mouth, "Shh, don't make a sound." He whispered. Lia nodded and followed him to the kitchen.

"Sorry." Remus said as they entered. "It's just that Mrs. Black starts to shout when she notices that there's someone here."

"Who's Mrs. Black?" Lia asked as she sat near the table.

"Sirius's mother." Remus replied.

"She lives here too?"

"Oh, no. She died so long ago. It's her portrait."

"Portrait? A talking portrait?" Lia was surprised again.

"You'll get used to this world. Don't worry." Remus said as unpacked the lunch package that Mrs. Weasley sent. "Molly sends me food everyday. She cooks pretty well."

"This smells good." Lia said as she sniffed the scent of it.

Remus smiled. He never managed to cook for himself. Molly Weasley kept sending him food every day by owl. He didn't want to disturb her, but she insisted to cook for him. And on weekends Remus went to visit the Weasleys at the Burrow and spent the whole day with them.

Lia prepared the table and they both sat to eat. She also put some meat in a plate for Rex.

"So, what do you do for living?" Lia asked.

"I don't work. There are laws that don't allow me to find a job."

"Why? You're not some kind of a criminal, are you?"

"No, of course not. It's just hard to explain." Remus didn't know if he should tell her the truth about him. '_What if she got scared?_' he asked himself. '_No. I can't risk it._'

"Well, I don't have the required qualifications." He lied.

"Oh, I see."

"What about you?" he asked.

"I worked in different places. As a nanny." She hated to remember her experience as a nanny. "And as a waitress."

"Did you enjoy your work?"

"No." she didn't talk anymore. It was like opening an old wound when she remembered her first job after she left the orphanage.

Remus noticed her face expression change. He knew that he shouldn't have asked her about her work. '_Maybe they didn't pay her enough and she's mad at them._' He thought.

Their lunch continued in silence. After they finished, Remus helped Lia to wash the dishes.

"You know," Remus was the first to break the silence. "I've sent an owl to Harry and the Weasleys."

"Who are the Weasleys?"

"Friends of mine and Harry's. They are so nice."

"Okay."

At that moment Rex raise his ears and stood up. The kitchen door opened and a brown owl came in holding a letter. It dropped the letter in Remus's hands and flew toward Rex and stood on his head.

"It's from Molly." Remus said and opened the letter.

"Who's Molly?"

"Molly Weasley." Remus replied and read the letter:

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__

Dear Remus,

We are glad to know that Lia is with you at the headquarters. Me and Arthur would like to invite you to spend the weekend with us. The children are so excited and they also want to meet Lia.

I will send an owl to Harry and see if he can make it.

Sincerely,

Molly Weasley

----------------------------

"Well? What do you say?" Remus asked.

"About what? The weekend?"

"Yes."

"Er… I don't know. I'm not used to go and visit people whom I don't even know."

"There's always a first time." Remus said. "It's going to be fun. Their sons were the biggest troublemakers at Hogwarts. You'll like them."

"Okay. Whatever you say Mr. Lupin."

"Please call me Remus. I don't like formalities."

"Okay Remus." Lia said with a smile.

O o O o O

Harry felt miserable. It's been two weeks since he came back and he missed Sirius. He couldn't believe that he would never see his Godfather again. Harry was in his room trying to ovoid Uncle Vernon's daily screams. But this summer was going to be different. Moody, Tonks and Lupin have politely asked Uncle Vernon to be nice to Harry, which turned into a threat at the end of their conversation. Harry was doing his homework. He wanted to finish them in time. Suddenly two owls came and landed on his window. He recognized them at once. One of them was Pig, Ron's owl, and the other one was a black owl sent by Remus. He took the letters from them and they flew to Hedwig's cage.

Harry saw that the letter was from Mrs. Weasley. So, he decided to open Remus's letter first.

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__

Dear Harry,

I hope that you're doing well. Are the Durlsey's treating you good? If they're not, let me know.

I have a little surprise for you. Just a week ago I received an owl from Professor Dumbledore asking me to represent Hogwarts to meet a new witch who will soon be attending Hogwarts. Her name is Lia Jones and she is your cousin. I know that you'll be surprised, as you never knew that you had relatives. I am sorry for not telling you before that your father had a sister, but that was upon her wish. She wanted to stay away from the magical world in order to keep her marriage. Lia is now with me at Sirius's house. She doesn't know anything about our world. Emily (her mother) didn't tell her anything about it.

When Lia knew that she had a cousin, she was so happy. I hope that you are also happy to know about her too. I am thinking now about how to get you two to meet each other. I will send you an owl as soon as I figure that out.

Send me your reply as soon as you can.

Sincerely,

R. Lupin

----------------------------

Harry was surprised. "A cousin?" he turned to Hedwig. "Did you hear that Hedwig? I have a cousin!" he said happily and opened Mrs. Weasley's letter.

----------------------------

__

Dear Harry,

I hope that you received Remus's letter before this one. I guess he told you about your newly found cousin. We all are so happy for you!

You are invited to spend this weekend at our house. I've sent an owl to Remus and invited him and Lia to come too. I hope that you can make it. If your aunt and uncle disagree about that, let us know. We can talk to them. Send your reply with Pig.

P.S.: Ron is so excited about meeting your cousin too. And he sends his greetings.

Take care of yourself,

Molly Weasley

----------------------------

There was nothing that would ruin Harry's happiness now. Even if Dudley came in and started beating him, he wouldn't mind that. He wasn't alone now. He has a cousin who wants to meet him and she doesn't mind him being a wizard. He is so excited about that. He quickly went downstairs and headed to the kitchen, where the Dursleys spent most of their days.

"Uncle Vernon?" Harry said as he entered the kitchen.

"What do you want boy?" Uncle Vernon replied without even looking at him.

"I was wondering if… if I can spend the weekend at Ron's?" Harry asked.

"What?" Uncle Vernon knew that Ron is Harry's wizard friend. And he hated everything and everyone who had some relation with magic. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO MENTION ANYTHING ABOUT…"

"Vernon!" Aunt Petunia interrupted him. "Remember what that man said at the train station!"

Uncle Vernon couldn't forget the man who threatened him at the train station when he went to meet Harry. Mad-Eye Moody had made it clear for him that he will get into a big trouble if he disturbs Harry.

"Can you stay there the whole summer?" he asked Harry.

"I don't know yet. But I'll try."

"Alright then. You can go." Uncle Vernon said turning to watch TV again. He was so angry and Harry knew that. He went back to his room happily and started to write his reply.

----------------------------

__

Dear Mrs. Weasley,

Thank you for inviting me. I am allowed to come. I just don't know how to get there. Can you help?

Harry.

----------------------------

He rolled the parchment and attached it to Pig's leg. "Take this to Mrs. Weasley." He said and Pig flew out of the window. The black owl was waiting for his share of the letter to take it. Harry wrote the next letter:

----------------------------

__

Dear Remus,

This is the best surprise ever! How come I didn't know? Well, I guess you and Lia are going to tell me about everything. Mrs. Weasley invited me to spend the weekend at the Burrow. I hope that you are coming too.

Tell Lia that I can't wait to meet her. I know that two days are not a long period, but now, every second feels like a day! I still don't know how am I going to get there, but I wrote to Mrs. Weasley to help me with that.

Take care of Lia and yourself.

P.S.: Uncle Vernon asked me to spend the summer at the Burrow. But I was wondering if I can stay with you?

Sincerely,

Harry.

----------------------------

Harry couldn't wait for Saturday to come. It was Thursday but it felt like Monday to him. It seemed like time decided to stop since the moment he got the letters. He attached the letter to the black owl's leg and it flew out of the window. Hedwig decided to go out too. She flew out before Harry could protest. He wanted to share his happiness with someone, but no one at that house would feel the same way as him. He sat near the window and stared at the sky.

"Mom, dad, I know you hear me. Dumbledore has found my cousin Lia. I'm going to meet her on Saturday. And she will go to school with me!" The last sentence made him even more happier. He was going to have all the time he wanted to spend it with her. He couldn't ask for anything better.

****

O o O o O

Remus was showing Lia the house. They walked in the corridors in silence so they wouldn't disturb Mrs. Black. They reached the third floor and Remus showed her the room where Harry stayed last summer.

"He slept here with his friend Ron." Remus said. "They are best friends."

Lia walked inside the room and looked around. "I still can't believe this. It's almost like a dream."

"I'm glad to tell you it's not." Remus said with a smile. And Lia smiled back. They went out and Remus headed to the stairs. Rex stood in front of a door at the end of the corridor and was sniffing it.

"Rex, come here boy." Lia said, but Rex didn't seem to be interested in following her.

"Oh, I think you should keep him away from that room. It might be dangerous for him."

"Why?" Lia asked.

"There's a hippogriff inside. And I don't think that your dog will like to get hurt."

"What's a hippogriff?"

"It's a magical creature. It has a head of an eagle, and a body of a horse. It also has wings."

"Wow! And you keep it locked all the time?"

"Yes. I can't let Buckbeak out in the house."

"Is that its name?"

"Buckbeak? Yes."

"Can I see it?"

Remus hesitated for a moment, but then, he remembered how curious Harry got whenever he was forbidden to go somewhere. He always ended up at the place where he wasn't supposed to be. "Alright, just remember to bow at it when you see it. If it bows back, you can go closer and pet him. If not, you have to leave the room at once. They are sensitive creatures, and they would become dangerous if they are disturbed."

"Okay."

They went to the end of the corridor and Remus took out his wand.

"Alohomora!" he said and waved his wand at the lock. The door was now unlocked.

"Wow." was all that Lia managed to say.

Remus opened the door and they entered. Buckbeak was standing there staring out of the window.

"Now we have to bow." Remus said and he bowed. Lia followed him. Buckbeak turned at them and bowed to Remus. He stared at Lia for a moment and then slowly bowed to her too.

"This is amazing!" Lia said. She couldn't believe her eyes. She was standing there; looking at an animal that looked like a horse and an eagle at the same time.

"You can go closer now." Remus said.

Lia nodded and slowly got closer. Buckbeak stared at her and then it moved closer to her. It had feathers on its body. "Hello." She said as she stroke Buckbeak's head. Then she turned to Remus, "Why do you keep him inside all the time? Can't you let it out?"

"Unfortunately no. But I let him out from time to time at night. So he would fly."

"It's beautiful." Lia said.

They went out of the room and Remus locked the door. "Let's go downstairs." He said and they went back to the kitchen.

As soon as they entered the kitchen, a black owl came in.

"How do they do that? How can they get in if all the doors and windows are shut?" Lia asked.

Remus took the letter from the owl's leg and it flew to the table. "No body knows. They can find anyone they need no matter how hard it is to reach them."

He unfolded the parchment. "It's from Harry." He said.

"So soon?"

"Owls are fast." Remus read Harry's letter loudly so Lia would listen.

"He wants to stay with us? That's great!" Lia said happily.

"As much as I want to, but he can't. We must leave on Tuesday to Hogwarts."

"But why? Term starts on September 1st, and it's only June."

"You have to meet Professor Dumbledore first. We'll see what he has to say about this, and after that we will try to bring Harry here."

"I can't wait to meet him." Lia said. Remus didn't reply. He just smiled and took out a parchment and started to write the reply of Harry's letter.

----------------------------

__

Dear Harry,

I am not sure if you could spend the summer with us. As we are going to visit professor Dumbledore on Tuesday. Lia might start her lessons at Hogwarts at once. It all depends on Dumbledore. I'll tell him that you want to spend the summer with Lia, and since you both are in the same situation, I don't think that he will object. We will talk about this on Saturday at the Burrow.

Lia sends her greetings. She's excited as much as you.

Sincerely,

Remus.

----------------------------

He attached the letter to the owl's leg and it flew out at once. "It's getting late. I think it's better for us to go to sleep now." Remus said. He took Lia to her room and wished her goodnight, and then he went to his room, which was on the opposite side of Lia's room. Lia lay on the bed and thought about Saturday. She couldn't wait. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

__

She was walking near a lake. There was no one around. The birds were singing merrily around her and the sun was shining in the sky. She stopped to take a look at the lake. She went closer to the shore and knelt there. The water was so clear and blue. She saw the reflection of her face in it. It soon changed to show her mother's dead body. Lia quickly got up and started to run. Her scar started to hurt. Someone was watching her and she knew that she was in danger. She kept running into the forest until she saw him. The same man who came to her house on Christmas Eve. The one who killed her boyfriend and her mother. She couldn't move. She just stood there and stared at him. His face was covered again. He took out his wand and waved it at her. A green light flashed and headed toward her. She started to scream…

"Lia! Lia! Are you alright? Wake up please!"

Lia opened her eyes and breathed heavily. Everything was a blur. Her heart ached again and this time the pain was worse than ever. She sat up and put her hand on her scar.

"It hurts." She said, trying to control her tears.

"It's alright, just calm down and it will fade." Remus said.

"He was there. I couldn't see his face. He tried to kill me again!" she started to cry.

"It was only a dream." Remus took her in his arms. "Calm down. It's just a dream. It wasn't real." Remus started to think that Lia was having dreams just like Harry did. Voldemort would never show up in a dream unless he had some interest in that person.

Rex was already on her bed and he was licking her face, trying to calm her. He always did that when she was crying.

"It felt real." She said.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Remus asked. Lia nodded and Remus sat next to her. "Alright then."

"I was walking near a lake and then I saw my mother's reflection in the water. I started to run and he was there in the forest. He took out his wand and waved it at me. I saw a green light coming out of it and headed at my direction. Then I woke up."

"Do you see such dreams so often?"

"From time to time. But always at different places. First I see my mom, and then he shows up. And I never saw his face."

"That's because he doesn't have one." Remus said.

"It still hurts." Lia said as she rubbed her chest.

"You'll be fine. Now try and go back to sleep."

Lia lay back in her bed and closed her eyes. Rex got closer to her and lay next to her and put his head on her stomach.

"Good dog." Remus said. "Take care of her." He left the room and went back to his room.

****

O o O o O

Saturday was a happy day for both Harry and Lia. Remus prepared a portkey to go to the Burrow. Lia decided to take Rex with her too. She didn't want to leave him all alone in the house. She grabbed his collar with one hand and Remus's Robe with the other. Remus touched the little statue that he used as a portkey and Lia quickly closed her eyes. She felt dizzy and her scar burnt. When she felt a solid ground again she opened her eyes and saw that she was looking at a house. It was old, but the garden surrounding it made it look as new as the other houses on the street. She followed Remus to the door. He knocked and after a few seconds they heard footsteps approaching.

"Remus! How nice to see you!" Mrs. Weasley gave Remus a hug.

"Hello Molly." Remus said.

"And this must be Lia." Mrs. Weasley said as she turned to Lia.

"Hello." Lia said shyly.

"It's nice to meet you dear. And I thought that you're a little girl!" she gave Lia a hug too. "Come on in."

They entered the house. Mrs. Weasley showed them the way to the living room. "Arthur and Ron went to bring Harry. They will soon be here." She said.

"You have a nice house." Lia said.

"Thank you dear." Mrs. Weasley blushed. It was the first time to hear a compliment about her house from a person who was there for the first time. She didn't know that this house seemed like a palace for Lia. After her mother's death Lia spent her life at a small apartment, which was becoming stinky.

"How are you Molly?" Remus asked.

"Oh, as usual. Cooking, cleaning. You know how it is."

"Yes, of course." Remus smiled. "And how's Arthur's work?"

"The same. He still doesn't speak to Percy." Mrs. Weasley had a sad look in her eyes. It's been a year since Percy left. And he wasn't speaking to them because they were following Dumbledore instead of the Ministry.

A redhead girl came in and she had a large smile on her face. "Hello professor." She said to Remus and then turned to Lia. "Hello, I'm Ginny."

"Hi. I'm Lia." Lia said. She was nervous about being there. Meeting new people was something that she didn't do for almost 10 years.

Twin redheads came into the room. "Hello Remus!"

"Hello boys." Remus replied.

They saw Lia sitting next to him. "Hello." They said together.

"Hi." Lia replied.

"I'm Fred."

"And I'm George."

"It's nice to meet you." Lia shook their hands. "I'm Lia."

"Nice to meet you too Lia." Fred said.

"Mom told us about you." George said. "She was talking about you in the last two days."

"Oh, how nice." Lia said with a blush.

"Alright, would you like a cup of tea?" Mrs. Weasley said.

"Yeah!" the twins said together.

"I wasn't asking you two." Mrs. Weasley told them.

"Yes Molly, thank you." Remus said.

"What about you dear?" she asked Lia.

"Er… okay." Lia replied.

Mrs. Weasley went to the kitchen and came back with a tray of six cups of tea. Ginny brought some biscuits and pancakes.

Mrs. Weasley gave Lia a cup of tea. "Thanks." Lia said.

"When are they coming?" Remus asked.

"They left an hour ago." Ginny said.

"They used floo powder." Fred said.

"I think they're stuck in the fireplace again." George said. "Remember the last time we were there Fred?"

"Yeah. Poor porky, he had his tongue as the size of his body." Fred said and winked at George.

"Who's porky?" Lia asked.

"Harry's cousin. He looks like a pig." Fred said.

"Oh." Lia said and managed to hide a giggle.

"Where back!" Mrs. Weasley said as he entered the living room.

"Arthur! It great to see you again." Remus said and shook Mrs. Weasley's hand.

"Hello Remus." He said and turned to Lia. "And you must be Lia."

"Hello. Nice to meet you Sir." Lia shook Mr. Weasley's hand.

"You look just like your mother." Mr. Weasley said.

Harry and Ron came inside too. "Hello everyone!" Ron said. Harry followed him shyly, like he was coming to the Burrow for the first time. He saw Lia standing there. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment. Harry couldn't believe his eyes. He was there looking in the eyes of his cousin. A cousin that he didn't know that existed.

Lia felt a warm sting on her chest. She smiled at Harry and he smiled back. Mrs. Weasley was wiping her tears already. Harry came closer to Lia.

"Hello." He said.

"Hi." Lia replied.

"I'm Harry."

"And I'm Lia."

"You're my cousin?" Harry asked.

"They told me so." Lia said with a smile. Tears started to form in her eyes. They embraced. Neither of them could feel happier. "I'm sorry I didn't know about you until now." Lia said.

"It's not your fault." Remus said. "We'll tell you all about it later." Lia and Harry broke their hug but kept holding each other's hand.

"Lia, this is Ron." Harry said. "He's my best friend."

Ron came closer to them. "Nice to meet you Lia."

"Hi Ron. Remus told me about you." She said.

"Remus, how come we never knew about each other?" Harry asked.

"Sit down Harry. You too Lia." Remus said. They sat on the couch next to each other.

"Emily was working on a project of Muggle studies in her seventh year at Hogwarts. She used to go out of school grounds so often. She used to come to London and do her researches. That's how she met Mathew. Of course, they fell in love and got married as soon as Emily graduated from Hogwarts. Mathew's parents didn't approve of his marriage to a witch. So, Emily decided to cut all her relations with the magical world and decided to live with her husband and daughter. James tried to convince her into staying in London, but she decided to move to another place. No body knew where she was until two weeks ago. Professor McGonagall was preparing the invitation letters to the new first year students and her magical quill wrote Lia's name. We all were surprised to know that she isn't eleven years old. Because that quill writes the names of the children who turned eleven each year and Professor McGonagall sends them an owl. She told Professor Dumbledore about what the quill wrote and he decided to bring Lia here to study."

"Why didn't you tell me that I had an aunt? Why didn't… Sirius tell me about her?" Harry asked.

"Harry, that was your aunt's wish. At that time she didn't know that James was going to get married and have a boy. She made us promise not to tell anyone about where she was. She loved her husband and daughter and she wanted to keep her marriage." Remus said.

"How come no one knew about my existence?" Lia asked. "If that magic quill writes down the name of each child who is born in a wizard family, how come my name wasn't written at the time I turned eleven?"

"Your mother put a charm on the house where you lived Lia." Mrs. Weasley said. "Before she left, she told me about that. She didn't want anyone to write to her or even visit her."

"Not even her own brother?" Lia asked. Harry felt relieved that she was the one to ask that question and not him.

"Not even her brother." Mrs. Weasley said. "Her mother-in-law insisted on keeping you and your mother away from anyone who had relations with wizardry. Emily couldn't anything but accept it."

"And I guess that's why she stopped visiting us after my father's death." Lia said.

"What happened to him?" Harry asked.

"He had a heart attack. He died when I was 13." Lia said.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's Okay. I can't even remember him correctly now. Although mom used to tell me about him."

"At least you got to know your mother." Harry said.

"Well, yeah." She replied. "What about your parents?"

"Well, they died when I was one year old, trying to save my life from Voldemort." All the Weasley's flinched at the mention of the name.

"Oh, that guy." Lia said and felt her scar burn again. She turned to Remus. "Remus it's…" She was breathing heavily.

Remus nodded and turned to Mrs. Weasley, "Molly do you have a comforting potion?"

"I think so. I'll get it." She got up and went to find the potion.

"What's wrong Lia?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, nothing." Lia said. "It's painful to remember my mother."

"Maybe you should get some rest." Ron said.

"Yeah, I think you had a long trip to get here." Harry said. "You should rest."

"Oh, no. We came through a portkey." Lia said. "It was a short trip."

Mrs. Weasley came back with the potion. She poured some potion in a spoon and gave it to Lia. Lia swallowed the pink potion. "Yuck! Sorry Mrs. Weasley, but it doesn't taste good."

"I know dear." Mrs. Weasley said with a smile.

"I feel a lot more better now." Lia said.

Harry smiled and held her hand. "I'm so happy to have you here." He said. "We are going to go to school together."

"Almost together." Remus said. "Harry, Lia is going to study by her own schedule. She might sit in classes with students. But most of the time, she's going to have private classes."

"Even potions?" Ron asked.

"Yes Ron, even potions." Remus smiled.

"What's so special about potions?" Lia asked.

"The teacher." Ron replied simply. "He's… well, annoying."

"Ron! Don't you ever talk about your teachers in that manner." Mrs. Weasley said.

"But it's the truth mom." Gunny said.

"Yeah, Snape is annoying sometimes." Harry said.

"All the time." Fred and George said together.

Mrs. Weasley got up. "Alright, everyone except for Harry and Lia come and help me at the kitchen. We have some work to do."

"Why except for us?" Harry asked.

"Well, you have so many things to talk about, and we don't want to disturb. We'll just go and prepare lunch."

Harry smiled to Mrs. Weasley. It was so nice of her to give them some private time to talk to each other.

Harry told Lia about his life with the Dursleys and then about his life at Hogwarts. Lia listened to him quietly and she was amazed to find out about Harry's adventures, although the last one was the worst of all.

"So, you didn't spend anytime with him like you wanted to?" Lia asked.

"No. Sirius was hiding all the time. And even when I came to stay at his place last summer, everyone was so busy and we didn't have the time to talk to each other."

"That's sad."

"Yeah. And when I went back to Hogwarts, he gave me something and told me to use it when I need to talk to him. I was so stupid not to open it as soon as I got to Hogwarts. I found out about what it was after he was dead. It was a mirror. I could talk to him using it. None of that would have happened if I used it the night I saw that dream." Harry said and his eyes filled with tears.

Lia took him into her arms. "It's alright. It wasn't your fault. It was his destiny. He wanted to save your life. And he did it. You can't change destiny."

"I just wish I could turn back time. Everything would be different. He would be alive."

"But no one can do that. I always wanted to turn back time too. Since the day my mother died. She would've been alive, as well as John."

Harry pulled back and looked at her. "Who's John?"

"My boyfriend." Lia said with a sad voice. "That black man killed him too."

"What black man?"

"The same guy who killed your parents. What was his name?"

"Voldemort." Harry said.

"Yes." Lia lowered her head. "He came to our house on Christmas Eve. I invited John to come and have dinner with me and my mom. That was going to be the first time they meet. Voldemort came and killed John first. Mom told me to run, and before I could get out I felt my mom jump in front of me and then we both fell on the ground. She was already dead." Her scar started to burn again. "He wasn't satisfied by killing her. She tried to kill me too. All I remember after that it awaking at the hospital and having a scar on my chest."

"A scar? Can I see it."

"Sure." Lia lowered her T-shirt's neck and showed Harry the bolt-shaped scar.

"The same as mine." Harry said and lifted his hair from his forehead.

"Oh my God. He tried to kill you too?"

"Yes. My dad's best friend betrayed him and told Voldemort where to find us. That's how he came. But how did he find you? Your house was charmed, wasn't it?"

"I don't know how he found us actually. I didn't know anything about wizardry at that time. And no one came to visit us except for some of mom's co-workers."

Ron came back to the living room. "Lunch is ready."

"We're coming." Harry said. He and Lia got up and went to the dining room.


	4. The Mirror of Magic

****

Chapter four - The Mirror of Magic

It's been two weeks since Wolf and Virginia came back from the nine Kingdoms. They stayed at the same apartment where Virginia used to live with her father. New York wasn't the perfect place for Wolf to live in, but he stayed there only for his love. Virginia noticed that he was sitting near the window all the time staring at Central Park and he was silent most of the time. Wolf wasn't a kind of a person who would sit alone without talking.

"Wolf?" Virginia said. "Is there something wrong?"

Wolf turned and looked at her, he managed to smile. "I'm fine cream puff."

"But you don't look fine to me. Tell me what's wrong, maybe I can help."

"Well, I miss the forest. I miss fresh air." Wolf said, turning his head back to look at Central Park.

"Wanna go out for a walk?" Virginia asked.

"Alright."

Wolf and Virginia went out and headed to the Central Park for what they believed to be a short walk. Suddenly Wolf stopped and sniffed the air.

"What is it Wolf?"

"I smell someone familiar." He said, "I think I smell Tony around here."

"Wolf! Virginia!" Tony waved at them and came running.

"Dad! What're you doing here?" Virginia asked.

"Well, I just came out of the portal and I was heading home to see you." Tony said. "Anyway, I missed you so much!" he gave his daughter a hug. And then turned to Wolf. "What was that grandpa thing all about?"

"You see Tone, you're going to be a grandpa." Wolf said with a smile.

"WHAT?! Since when?"

"Since two weeks ago." Wolf said.

"Virginia, how come you didn't tell me."

"Well, I…" Virginia didn't know what to say.

"We wanted it to be a surprise." Wolf jumped in.

"Yeah." Virginia said. "By the way dad, you're not here just because you missed me, aren't you?"

"Well, I did miss you. But I'm here because Wendell asked me to."

"What's wrong?" Wolf asked.

"Nothing. He just wanted to invite you two to dinner."

"Huff-puff! I'm starving!" Wolf said excitedly.

"Alright then, let go." Tony said.

"We will stay there for a night, okay?" Virginia asked Wolf.

"Alright. As long as I get to eat."

Virginia smiled. "You never change." She said.

They went deeper into the park until they reached the portal. Tony looked around to check if there was someone watching, and as soon as he made sure that there was no one around, they went through the portal after each other. Wolf was the last one to enter. He bumped into Tony when he got out through the Travelling Mirror.

"Watch it!" Tony said and turned the mirror off.

"Sorry Tone." Wolf scratched his temple.

"Don't start you two." Virginia said.

King Wendell came into the mirror room. "You're here already!" he said happily, "It's great to see you two again."

"Hi Prince!" Virginia said, "I mean.. Your Majesty."

"You can call me Wendell Virginia." Wendell said.

"Hi Wendie! How are you?" Wolf asked and gave Wendell a wolfish hug.

"I'm fine Wolf. So, are you two staying?"

"Only for a night." Virginia said.

"Excellent. Although, I wish you stay a little bit longer. We didn't spend much time together since my coronation."

"We'll have plenty of time Prin… Wendell." Virginia said.

"Dinner will be served in a few minutes, let's go to the dining room." Wendell said and they went out of the mirror room.

Before they leave Virginia noticed a strange shimmering on one of the mirrors. It seemed that the mirror was showing another world, but as soon as she looked at it, the image was gone. She waved that thought out of her head and left the room with the others.

Once they were in the dining room Wolf threw himself to the table. "Huff-puff! This is great!"

"Haven't you been feeding him?" Tony asked Virginia.

"I have. But you know that the food in New York is quite different than here." Virginia replied.

"Yeah, you're right."

They all sat around the table and started to eat. Wolf ate like he hasn't been eating for at least a month.

"Wolf, slow down. You'll choke yourself." Virginia whispered to him.

"I'm fine." Wolf replied and helped himself with a lamb chop.

"So, how is the life in the 10th Kingdom Wolf?" Wendell asked, and this time Wolf almost got choked.

"It's… umm… fine. Yeah, it's a nice place." Wolf said without looking at anyone and continued to eat.

Virginia looked at him and then she finally understood. Wolf never liked closed places. He always loved nature and freedom. He needed to run in the forest, to hunt, to swim in the river. How couldn't she notice that when she was still in New York? He was sitting at the window and staring at the park. The portal was there. He always wanted to come back to his home because he would feel like a wolf here. He never said anything about returning to the nine kingdoms to her. He always acted like he liked living in New York. He never complained. How couldn't she notice that he stayed in New York just to be with her?

"You know, I was thinking about moving out." Virginia said.

Wolf stopped eating and turned to her. "What do you mean with moving out?"

"You're not comfortable with the apartment there?" Tony asked.

"It's not that. Well, I was thinking about moving to live here." She turned to look at Wolf, whose eyes were shining now.

"Virginia, do you really mean it?" wolf asked.

"Of course I mean it. Wolf, I can't stand seeing you sad all day, staring at Central Park and not talking. I know that you miss your home, and let me tell you, I'm not connected to my home as much as you are to yours."

"But you wanted to be back home! To New York!" Tony said. "What made you suddenly change your mind?"

"Dad, I love Wolf. And I don't want to see him sad all the time. Besides, I think that this place would be better for our baby. What if it was born with a tail? We all will turn into some lab mice."

"What mice?" Wendell asked.

"I don't want to turn into a mouse!" Wolf said.

"Wolf, I didn't mean turning into a mouse." Virginia said and turned to Wendell; "Laboratory mice are used for several kinds of researches and experiments. If the baby is born in New York and the doctors find out about the tail, which I'm sure they'll notice even before the baby is born, they will start doing several experiments on Wolf and the baby. I don't want that to happen." She turned to face her father now. "Dad, I'm sure you don't want your grandchild to spend all his life in a lab."

"Of course not!" Tony said. "I'm glad that you decided to move here honey."

"You can stay at the palace." Wendell suggested. "It's huge. And I have many free rooms. You can choose the one you like."

"Thank you Wendell." Virginia said.

"Yeah, it's so nice of you Wendie." Wolf said.

"I guess I'm going to sleep now." Tony said and got up. "Good night everyone."

"Good night dad." Virginia said.

"Sweet dreams Tone!" Wolf said and winked at him.

"Shut up Wolf." Tony said and went to his room.

"Let's go and find a room for you two." Wendell said.

"Okay." Virginia said and they got up.

Wendell showed them the free rooms of the palace. One was so big it could fit a whole family, the next had a single bed. The other had red walls. After a long search they found a room that they liked. Wendell wished them a good night and went to his room. Virginia opened the wardrobe and saw that there were nightgowns inside.

"Is this the guest room or what?" she asked.

"Maybe." Wolf replied. "If the owner of the house has his own room, then the rest are supposed to be guest rooms."

"I guess you're right." She took out a nightgown and changed her clothes. "But we have to go back to New York to get our stuff."

"We can do that tomorrow." Wolf said. He also changed his clothes and let his tail out, and then he jumped into bed. "I'm exhausted."

"You should be. You ate like a… well, a wolf." Virginia got into bed too.

"Just as I always should." He said with a smile. "That's my nature."

"Just remind me to keep an eye on you, so you wouldn't choke."

"Alright." Wolf kissed her and they fell asleep.

__

Virginia was in a white cave. It was covered with ice and snow. She looked around. She knew this place. She has been here before.

'Hello Virginia'

Virginia turned and saw the source of the voice. It was Snow White.

'Snow White! Hi! How did I end up here? I was at the palace a moment ago.' Virginia said.

'And you're still at the palace Virginia. You're just dreaming.' Snow White said. 'A great danger is threatening the kingdoms.'

'Not again! Who is it this time?' Virginia asked.

'I couldn't find out. There's a strong kind of magic covering it.'

'And what am I supposed to do?'

'You must find the-girl-who-lived.' Snow White said.

'Who's that? And where can I find her?' Virginia asked.

'You have to search for her. You can find her beyond the Northern Sea.'

'Northern Sea?'

'Find her Virginia. You can save the kingdoms only with her help.' Snow White said and disappeared.

'Wait! You didn't tell me what's going to happen!'

"Snow White! Where are you?"

"Virginia, wake up." Wolf was getting panicked.

Virginia opened her eyes. "Where is she?" she sat up and looked around. It was morning and she was back in her room at the palace.

"What's wrong Virginia?"

"It was Snow White." Virginia looked at Wolf. "She told me that there's a great danger threatening the kingdoms. Wolf, we have to do something."

"What danger? Everything is fine over here."

"She didn't say anything Wolf. She just told me to find a girl. She called her the-girl-who-lived."

"Cripes!"

"What?"

"There used to be a legend about a boy and a girl-who lived. They were relatives and survived death. The legend says that the world they live in is beyond the Northern Sea." Wolf said.

"That's exactly what Snow White told me."

"Oh cripes! We have to tell Wendell." Wolf said. They quickly got dressed and went out. They didn't know where was Wendell's room located, so they just went to the dining room to meet him for breakfast.

Wendell was already sitting in his chair at the head of the table. "Good morning. How did you sleep?" he asked.

"Wendell, Snow White came to Virginia's dream!" Wolf said and sat near the table. Virginia sat next to him.

"How nice!" Wendell said.

"Well, it wasn't that nice Wendell." Virginia said.

"What did she say?" Wendell asked.

Virginia told Wendell about her dream. For a while Wendell seemed to be thinking about something. He sat there his arms folded on his chest.

"Wendell, say something!" Virginia said.

"Let's go to the library."

"Is that all you can say?" Wolf asked. But soon enough, he found out that Wendell really meant to go to the library. He got up and walked out of the room. Wolf and Virginia followed him.

"There used to be a legend about a magical world which is located on the other side of the sea. You remember about the third Travelling Mirror, which is in the sea. Don't you?"

"Yes." Said Virginia.

"Well, the dwarves wanted to take it as a present from our world to theirs, but they didn't make it and the mirror sank in the sea. They say that no one can go to that side of the sea because it's being protected by strong magic." Wendell said.

"What about the girl and the boy?" Wolf asked.

"Well, I don't know if they really exist. But we'll read about them now." Wendell said.

They entered the library. It was huge and the walls were covered by rows of books.

"Where should we begin?" Wendell asked himself.

"Don't tell me we're going to read all these books until we find the one we need!" Virginia said.

"That's a wonderful idea!" Wolf said. "Maybe we can find some self-help books here too. I really liked the ones I brought from the 10th kingdom. They were so helpful."

"We don't have to read all the books." Wendell said finally. "We can only search one section."

"Which one?" Virginia asked.

"The magic of Merlin." Wendell said. "I just can't remember where is it located."

"Merlin really existed too?" Virginia asked, and then she remembered that she was in a fairy tale world and everything was possible. "Then let's search for it together." She quickly added and they started to search for the required section.

"Look up there!" Wolf said and pointed to the top of the shelves near the window. "There! 'The Magic of Merlin' Cripes! There are ton of books there." He added.

Wendell pulled the ladder and climbed, he pulled some books and threw them down to Wolf to catch. Wolf caught the books and put them on a table near him. Wendell got down from the ladder and took a book.

"Let's start." He said.

"What are we supposed to search for exactly?" Virginia asked.

"Anything concerning the-girl-who-lived." Wendell said.

They looked in all the books that were on the table. Wolf climbed the ladder again and brought several more books. None of them contained anything of interest for them.

"Nothing." Virginia said, frowning. "We are going to spend the whole day here searching for something that doesn't exist in books!"

"Look at this!" Wolf said. "Hogwarts, A History. It's about a school that teaches witchcraft and wizardry."

"We don't need that Wolf." Virginia said.

"Oh, alright." Wolf put the book aside and took another one.

"This might be interesting." Wendell said. He was reading a thin red book:

Merlin predicted that evil will rise and only two will survive. One will be marked as equal to the Dark Lord and another will be marked as symbol of hate.

"I think this is about them. _Only two will survive._ Yes, it is about them." He kept reading:

__

They will be separated for many years until their time comes.

"So that means they will meet each other again?" Virginia asked.

"Maybe." Wendell said.

"Huff-puff! Is there anything about where they live in that book?" Wolf asked.

"It says that the magical world of wizards is in England." Wendell said. "A mirror will show the way to the people who are in deep need to be there."

"A mirror?" Virginia asked.

"Maybe it's the mirror in the Northern Sea." Wolf said. "Maybe it was the only way to get there."

"I don't think so." Wendell said. "It says here that the mirror can only found with its brothers. And it's called 'The Mirror of Magic'."

"I never knew that mirrors have brothers." Wolf said.

"The mirror room!" Virginia said, suddenly remembering the strange mirror she saw there.

"Let's go then." Wendell said.

The three went to the mirror room. The queen has left a huge amount of mirrors there, and each one had its own purpose of use.

"Which one is it?" Wolf asked.

"The names of the mirrors are usually written behind them." Wendell said.

"You mean the name of the manufacturer. And they are all made by the dwarves of Dragon Mountain." Virginia said.

"I don't think that one was made by the dwarves. It must be a special mirror." Wendell said.

They began looking behind every mirror in the room. All of them seemed to be manufactured at Dragon Mountain.

"Virginia, did Snow White tell you anything else?" Wendell asked.

"No. Only that there's danger and she can't tell what it is yet."

"Look at this!" Wolf said. "Manufactured by the Goblins of the Northern Sea. I think we found it!"

"I never thought that goblins are capable of making mirrors." Wendell said.

"You can expect anything from Goblins." Wolf said. "They aren't ordinary creatures."

"When we left this room yesterday, this mirror was shimmering." Virginia said.

"Are you sure of what you saw Virginia?" Wendell asked.

"Yes. It seemed to be another world. I didn't look at it carefully, so I don't remember what I saw exactly."

They stared at the mirror for a while, trying to figure out how it worked.

"There must be some way to turn it on." Wolf said.

"Wolf, this is one of the mirrors of the queen. Maybe it works only for her." Wendell said.

Virginia walked in front of the mirror and looked at it. "There must be a way." She said.

The mirror started to glow and shimmer. "Hey look!" Virginia said. "It working!"

"What did you do Virginia?" Wolf asked.

"I just stood in front of it." she replied.

The mirror showed a huge castle surrounded by large trees in a mountainous area. The trees seemed to form a forest on one side, and a big lake was visible on the other side.

"Maybe that's where their king stays." Wendell said.

"But how can we go there?" Virginia asked.

"Read the book." Wolf said.

At that moment Tony entered the room. "There you are! I've been searching for you all morning!"

"Morning dad." Virginia said.

"Good morning sunshine." Tony said and kissed Virginia's cheek. "What are you doing here? Were you going to leave without telling me?"

"No dad. We're here because Snow White told me to search for a girl. The kingdoms are in danger again." Virginia told her father about her dream and the mirror that they found.

"Why don't you just try and go through it?" Tony said.

"Good idea." Wolf said.

"But we don't know what is waiting for us there." Wendell said.

"We'll find out when we get there." Virginia said. "I'm going first."

"No, I'll go first and you come right after me." Wolf said. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Oh Wolf, you're so sweet." Virginia said and gave him a kiss.

Wolf touched the mirror surface and it felt cold, just like the Travelling Mirror. "Alright magical world, here I come." He said and stepped through it. Virginia followed him, as did Wendell and Tony.


	5. The Storm At The Ministry

****

Chapter five - The storm at the Ministry

"Harry do you think we should write to Hermione and tell her about Lia?" Ron asked.

"Of course! She should know too!" Harry said excitedly. He and Ron went to Ron's room and started to write a letter to Hermione.

----------------------------

__

Dear Hermione,

I am so happy to inform you that Professor Dumbledore has found my cousin. She is staying with Remus at this moment in Sirius's house. We got to meet each other today at The Burrow. She is so nice. I'm sure you'll like her when you meet her. She has also been attacked by Voldemort and has a scar. We are going to spend the weekend at the Burrow, but she is going to Hogwarts on Tuesday. I am hoping to spend the summer with her if she doesn't start her lessons at Hogwarts at once. I'll write to you as soon as I get some news about that.

P.S.: Ron sends his greetings. We would love to see you here too.

Yours,

Harry

----------------------------

"Ron, I think we should use your owl. Hedwig is out somewhere, and she isn't back yet."

"Sure. Pig! Come over here!" Ron said and Pig flew to him happily. He attached the letter to Pig's leg. "Take this to Hermione and don't come back without her reply." Pig flew right out of the window and disappeared.

"Let's go back to the living room." Harry said.

Everyone was in the living room. Except for Mr. Weasley, who went to the Ministry, and Fred and George, who went to Diagon Alley to check on their joke shop.

"Where did you two go?" Asked Mrs. Weasley as soon as she saw Ron and Harry come in.

"We wrote a letter to Hermione telling her about Lia." Ron said.

"Who's Hermione?" Lia whispered to Remus.

"She's their friend. These three would do anything for each other." Remus replied.

They spent the day enjoying themselves at the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley and Remus stayed at the living room and talked, while Ron, Harry and Ginny took Lia and showed her the house. Then they went outside to show her the backyard. They sat on the grass and talked.

"You have a nice house Ron." Lia said. "I used to live in a house like this. But since my mother died I was forced to leave."

"Why?" Ginny asked.

"They took me to an orphanage because my grandmother didn't want me to stay with her. She was afraid that the killer would come after me again and kill her too."

"How awful!" Ginny said.

"After the orphanage I lived at a house where I worked as a nanny, and then I moved to a small apartment."

"You lived alone?" Harry asked.

"Yes."

"Why did You-Know-Who want to kill you anyway?" Ron asked.

"I don't know." Lia felt her scar burn again. "Why don't we change the subject? I don't feel comfortable talking about that."

"Sure, sorry." Ron said.

"It's okay. It's just that my scar starts to burn each time I think about that day."

"You have a scar? Can I see it?" Ginny asked.

"Okay." Lia said and showed them her scar.

"Blimey! Looks like You-Know-Who has a habit of leaving the same kind of scars on everyone he fails to kill."

"He hit you on your heart didn't he?" Harry asked.

"Yes."

"I wonder why couldn't he kill you." Harry said. "I mean, no one can survive the deadly curse."

"Well, it seems that we both did." Lia said with a smile.

"Yeah." Harry blushed.

"By the way, where's Rex?" Lia asked and looked around. "I didn't see him since we came."

"Who's Rex?" Harry asked.

"My dog. I brought him with me. I was allowed to bring a dog as a pet."

"Wow! They won't allow us to keep a dog at Hogwarts. Only Hagrid has a dog. His name is Fang." Ron said.

"He has two dogs in fact. The other one has three heads and it's almost a giant. It's name is Fluffy." Harry added.

"Three heads and called Fluffy?" Lia was surprised again. "How can I dog have three heads?"

"Well, Hagrid is in love with dangerous magical creatures. And he thinks that they would make good pets just like cats and dogs." Harry replied.

"That's weird." Lia said.

"Wait till you see him. He's so nice and friendly." Harry said.

"You know, I saw a magical creature at Remus's place."

"You mean Buckbeak?" Harry said.

"Yeah. How do you know?" Lia asked.

"He used to be one of Hagrid's pets." Ron replied.

"We first saw him at our Care of Magical Creatures class. Hagrid teaches us that subject." Harry said.

At that moment Rex came running and jumped on Lia and started licking her face.

"Lia!" Harry called and pulled out his wand.

"Rex! Stop it!" Lia said ad tried to push the dog away. "It's okay Harry. This is my dog."

Harry put his wand back in his pocket.

Lia stroke behind Rex's ears. "Good boy. Where were you?" she asked. "Oh, by the way. This is Rex." She said and then turned to the dog, "Rex meet Harry, he's my cousin." She pointed to Harry. "And these are Ron and Ginny. They're Harry's friends." Rex stared at them for a moment and then started to sniff their feet. After finishing his check-up he barked, which made them jump and then he started to jump around them as to show them he was happy to meet them. Harry knelt and started to stroke Rex's back.

"You have a nice dog." He said.

"He was a present from an old woman." Lia said.

Ron and Ginny joined Harry and stroked Rex's back. Rex enjoyed being in the center of their attention. Ron's owl showed up and landed on Ron's head.

"That was pretty fast." Ginny said.

"Pig! Gerroff me!" he grabbed the owl and took out the letter. "It's Hermione's reply." He said and opened it.

----------------------------

__

Dear Harry,

I was so pleased to know about your cousin. I hope that we'll meet at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, I can't meet you during summer because I am now in France with my parents again. I'll be spending the holidays here and I'll be back on the 25th of August. I hope to see you at Diagon Alley. If we don't meet there, we'll see each other on Hogwarts Express.

Greetings to Lia, Ron and Ginny. I hope you are having fun.

Best wishes,

Hermione

----------------------------

"In France again, huh?" Ron said.

"It's always good to go to other countries." Ginny said.

"She seems to be a nice person." Lia said.

"She's our best friend." Harry said. "I'm sure she'll help you a lot in everything you need at Hogwarts."

"She's our Miss know-it-all. Just don't tell her I told you that." Ron said and they all laughed.

"Tell me about the school." Lia said.

"It's huge. You will get lost at the beginning." Ron said.

"But you'll find your way pretty fast." Ginny added.

"And we'll help you with that. We always end up breaking the rules by showing up at places we are not supposed to be at." Harry said.

"But it always had its purpose." Ron said.

"What about the teachers?" Lia asked. They started telling her about their teachers at Hogwarts. Lia was surprised to know that Remus also has taught them. But they didn't tell her that he was a werewolf. If she was to know, Remus would tell her himself.

"It's getting dark. Why don't we go inside?" Ginny suggested.

"Alright." Harry said and they all went inside.

Mrs. Weasley was preparing dinner. Ginny and Lia went to the kitchen to help her and Rex followed them. Ron and Harry went to the living room, where Remus was.

"There you are!" Remus said. "And I thought you'll stay out all night."

"We would've stayed if Ginny didn't suggest that we come back inside." Harry said.

"Well, at least one of you has some brains." Remus said.

"Ha!" Ron said, "Let's talk about brains when she starts her O.W.L. exams."

"I wonder if we passed?" Harry wondered.

"Of course we did! I mean, we have to. Mom would kill me if I didn't pass." Ron said.

"I'm sure you did well at the exams." Remus said.

"If you only saw the examiners' faces when I produced my patronus. They were shocked!" Harry said.

"So you managed to produce it again." Remus said, proud of his student.

"Yes. And thank you for teaching me how to do it." Harry said with a smile.

"I wish I can produce one." Ron said.

"You'll be able to do it someday." Harry said. "I'm sure that every member of D.A. will be able to do it."

"What's D.A.?" Remus asked.

"Dumbledore's Army." Ron said.

"What?"

"When Umbridge decided to stick to only the theory of Defense Against the Dark Arts, we decided to collect some students who were interested in the practical part. And Harry is our leader." Ron said.

"That's a wonderful idea Harry. Let me know if you need any help." Remus said.

"Sure." Harry replied.

Mr. Weasley came back from work. "Good evening gentlemen."

"Hi dad." Ron said.

"Hello Mr. Weasley." Harry said.

"How was work today Arthur?" Remus asked.

"You won't believe what happened. The Department of Mysteries was turned upside down again." Mr. Weasley said.

"What happened?" Remus asked. Ron and Harry looked at each other alarmed.

"No body knows what happened exactly. They say that a wind blew at the department for about an hour. No one knows how it started. They say that no body was hurt, but the offices were in a mess."

"Do you think it's Voldemort again?" Harry asked and both Ron and Mr. Weasley flinched at hearing the name. "Sorry, I forgot." Harry added quickly.

"Well, no one knows for sure. They are now searching for evidences. I doubt that they would find any." Mr. Weasley said.

"That's weird. Maybe Dumbledore would know about this." Remus said.

"I'm sure he would know. He knows everything. He just doesn't tell anyone until it's too late." Harry said, remembering all the times when Dumbledore was supposed to tell him something but never did on time. And the last time he did so, it cost him his Godfather's life.

"Now I'm sure he has his reasons Harry." Mr. Weasley said.

"Yeah, I'm sure he does." Harry frowned.

"Harry says the truth Arthur. If Dumbledore told Harry about the prophecy and everything that happened, Sirius would've been sitting with us now." Remus said.

Harry felt his scar getting warm. He knew something was wrong. Maybe Lia felt the same way now. He wanted to go and ask her, but then he thought that maybe he felt this way only because he remembered the night at the Department of Mysteries.

"ARTHUR! REMUS! HELP!" Mrs. Weasley came running into the living room.

"What is it Molly?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"It's Lia! She's not feeling good!" Mrs. Weasley said and they all ran to the kitchen.

Lia was lying on the floor curled up and screaming in pain. Her hands were both on her chest and Ginny was kneeling beside her crying. Rex was near Lia too, licking her face, but that didn't seem to comfort her.

"Lia!" Harry called and knelt next to her, "Are you alright?"

"H-help me!" Lia said breathing hard. "It… hurts! AAARGH!"

"Remus, what should we do?" Harry asked. He was getting panicked.

Ginny got up and ran into her mother's arms. Remus knelt near Lia. "Lia can you stand up?" he asked but Lia didn't answer. "Molly tell me which room should I take her? Arthur, can you bring a healer?"

"Of course." Arthur said and quickly took out his wand and disaparated.

"Take her to Ginny's room." Mrs. Weasley said.

Remus picked Lia up and carried her to Ginny's room. He put her on the bed and covered her with a blanket. "There's nothing we can do. We have to wait for Arthur." He said. "Molly, send an owl to Dumbledore and tell him about everything. Including about what happened at the ministry today."

"Alright." Said Mrs. Weasley and went to write the letter.

"We can't leave her like that Remus." Harry said as he sat on the bed next to Lia.

"There's nothing we can do Harry. The scar is affecting on her heart too." Remus looked at Lia. She wasn't screaming now. She just lay there on the bed motionless. "Oh no. Lia don't do that." He sat next to her and started to shake her. "Lia talk to me!"

"Lia say something!" Harry was shaking her too. But Lia didn't respond. She lost her consciousness.

Mrs. Weasley came back to the room. "I've sent the letter." She said. "How is she?"

"She just lost her consciousness." Remus said and turned back to Lia. "Lia open your eyes please."

After a few minutes Mr. Weasley came back with Madam Pomfrey. "Is she alright?" he asked.

"I don't think so." Ron whispered.

"Everyone out of the room please." Said Madam Pomfrey.

"I want to stay with her!" Harry said.

"Harry, you can wait outside. Now let Madam Pomfrey do her job." Said Mrs. Weasley.

"No!"

"Come on Harry. You won't help Lia if you stayed here." Remus said and pulled Harry outside and closed the door after everyone else left too.

Harry sat on the ground near the door. "I'm staying here. I won't leave her alone." He said, his hand on his scar.

Everyone looked at him. Mrs. Weasleys eyes were filled with tears. Ron took Ginny and they went downstairs. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley followed them, but Remus stayed with Harry. He sat next to him.

"She'll be fine Harry." He said.

"If anything happens to her…"

"You can't do anything now. You don't know where Voldemort is and you can't find him."

"You bet I can." Harry said. He was so angry that he didn't think about what he was saying.

At that moment Professor Dumbledore came running. "Where is she Remus."

"Inside. Madam Pomfrey is with her now." Remus replied.

Professor Dumbledore entered the room and closed the door behind him. After a moment the door was opened and Rex was shoved outside. "Keep the dog with you." Madam Pomfrey said and closed the door again. Rex scratched the door trying to open it.

"Come here boy." Remus said and pulled Rex away from the door. "You can't help her now. Just wait here with us."

Harry looked at the dog. For a moment he wished that he could find Voldemort at that moment and finish him. That way Lia would feel better and her scar would never hurt her anymore.

"What are you thinking about Harry?" Remus asked.

"Nothing." Harry replied without looking at him. He kept looking forward at the opposite wall.

They sat there without talking for about a half an hour and then the door was opened again. Madam Pomfrey got out. Remus got up.

"How is she?" Harry jumped to his feet.

"She is sleeping now. We managed to bring her consciousness back, and then I gave her a sleeping potion. She won't wake up tonight. You'll have to let her sleep." She told Harry. "She needs all the rest she can get. Professor Dumbledore will explain everything else to you."

"Thank you." Remus said.

Madam Pomfrey smiled at him. "It's nice to see you again Remus." She said.

"I wish it was on different occasion though." He replied.

"Well, I guess I'll see you at school this year."

"Of course."

"Alright then, I better go now." She said and went downstairs.

"You're coming back?" Harry asked.

"Only to teach Lia."

"But who is going to teach us Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"I don't know yet. Maybe Dumbledore has a new teacher assigned."

"As long as it's not Umbridge or Lockhart." Harry said.

Remus smiled. "I don't think Lockhart remembers anything now except for giving away autographs."

The room door opened again and Professor Dumbledore appeared. Rex made his way back inside in a flash.

"Professor! How is she?" Harry asked.

"Hello Harry, Remus."

"Hello Professor." Harry and Remus said together.

"Professor, how is Lia now? Can I see her?" Harry asked.

"Of course Harry. But please don't try to wake her up."

"Alright."

"Let us all get inside. I want to know what happened exactly." Dumbledore said and they went inside.

Harry quickly sat next to Lia and started to stroke her hair. She was sleeping peacefully.

"How did it happen Remus?" Dumbledore asked.

"We were in the living room when Molly came in and told us that Lia wasn't feeling good. When we went to the kitchen we saw her on the ground and screaming."

"What did she say?"

"She only managed to say that it hurts."

"She didn't mention if it was the scar or her heart?"

"No. But she was breathing hard. So I guess it was her heart."

Dumbledore looked at Lia for a moment. "This is difficult." He said and turned to Harry. "Harry, did you feel anything at that moment?"

Harry tried to remember if he had felt anything strange. "Yes. My scar felt warm. That's all. It didn't hurt."

"Something is not right here." Dumbledore said. "Remus I ask you to bring Lia to Hogwarts tomorrow as soon as she wakes up. She must stay under protection."

"Alright Professor."

"Can I come too?" Harry asked. "I want to be with her."

"Harry, you know pretty well why we are keeping you at your aunt's house, don't you?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes Professor. But I really want to stay with her. Besides, the Dursleys have asked me if I can spend the summer at another place."

"Alright then. You can come along too. Do you have your trunk with you?"

"No."

"Then you may go tonight with Arthur and bring it here. I'll prepare a portkey for you two to get there."

Harry smiled. "Thank you Professor."

"There's no need to thank me Harry. I've learned not to discuss your decision. You may do something stupid again if I don't allow you to come."

What did he mean with something stupid? Harry couldn't tell. Was it about his appearance at the Department of Mysteries? But why would Dumbledore complain about that now? Voldemort didn't hear the prophecy, but instead Sirius got killed. So that was what he meant by doing stupid things.

"You better go and tell Arthur about that Harry. Meanwhile, I'll prepare the portkey." Dumbledore said.

Harry nodded and went downstairs. By the time he came back with Mr. Weasley, Professor Dumbledore has already prepared the little wizard shaped portkey.

"You will appear at your room Harry. Try to be as quiet as you can. Your aunt and uncle might be asleep by the time you get there."

"Alright." Harry said and he touched the portkey. Mr. Weasley followed him. They both disappeared.

"Professor, do you think it was Voldemort who was at the Ministry today?" Remus asked.

"No Remus. It was just an old friend of mine. I asked her to do me a favor."

"To blow up the Department of Mysteries?"

"No. It's just that her entrance caused a little storm. She comes from an ice cave."

"Oh, I see."

Mr. Weasley and Harry appeared in the room. Harry was holding his trunk and Hedwig's empty cage.

"Well, since you are back, I expect you three to be at Hogwarts tomorrow. I'll ask Hagrid to meet you at the Entrance Hall." Dumbledore said. "I better go now. Good-bye Arthur."

"Good-bye Professor." Mr. Weasley replied.

"I'll see you two tomorrow." Professor Dumbledore told Harry and Remus.

"Of course." Remus replied. Dumbledore took out a little Phoenix statue and clicked it with his wand. It gave a blue light and then he disappeared.

"Harry, I think it's better for you to go to bed now. It's getting late." Remus said.

Harry looked at Lia again and kissed her forehead. "Good night." He whispered to her and got up. They left the room and closed the door after them.

"Someone should spend the night with her. We shouldn't leave her alone." Harry said. "What if she was hurting again?"

"I'll ask Molly to stay with her." Mr. Weasley said.

"Yes. Ginny is too young to manage." Remus said. "She might get confused if anything happened."

Harry went straight to Ron's room and put his trunk in one corner. He opened it and took out his pajamas and changed his clothes. Ron was already asleep. Harry moved slowly trying not to wake him up.

Ginny went to sleep in Charlie's room and Mrs. Weasley slept in Ginny's room along with Lia. Mr. Weasley showed Remus the way to Bill's room and he headed back to his room.

Only the twins didn't come back home that night. They were busy in preparing their joke shop and they didn't realize that they were supposed to be back to school after a couple of months.


	6. From One Room To Another

****

Chapter six - From one room to another

The Department of Mysteries was in a total mess. A strong wind blew from the entrance and the all the doors flew open. All the witches and wizards who worked there seemed puzzled. For a moment they thought that Voldemort was back again, but when they searched all the rooms they were convinced that it wasn't him. No one knew the reason of the wind thought. Minister Fudge came running to the department to try to figure out what happened. He was in a shock of the view in front of him. Desks turned upside down, papers scattered all over the place. Non of the workers there was injured. And that was what amazed him most.

No body thought about entering the Death Room, though. A white light filled the room and a woman appeared. Snow White looked around to see if there was anyone around her, but she only heard voices coming from behind the curtain. People were whispering. She walked to the curtains and pulled them aside. A black hole appeared on the ground and the walls were covered with names. She read the names carefully and found the one she was looking for.

She looked at the hole on the ground. It seemed bottomless. The voices were coming from there. She knelt at the edge of the hole and called:

"Sirius Black, come out of there." She stood up and pulled the curtains back to their original state with a wave of her hand. Then she took a few steps back and waited. After a few moments the curtains moved and a man walked out of them. Sirius looked around and saw the woman standing in front of him.

"What happened? Who are you?" he asked.

"I am Snow White. And you were brought back to life." Snow White replied.

"Snow White? You're supposed to be a fairy tale!" Sirius said.

"Looks like your brain is still working." Snow White said.

"Where's Harry?" Sirius asked and looked around the room. "Where are the others, the Death Eaters?"

"You have missed so many events Sirius. Harry is enjoying his time with his friends at this moment."

"But how can this be? There was a fight! I remember it! Bellatrix was here, too. We were dueling. What happened?" he asked as he looked into Snow White's blue eyes.

"Sit Sirius." Snow White said and Sirius did as he was told. "Your cousin tried to kill you, but she didn't manage to do the death curse. Instead, you were stunned and fell into the death hole. Everyone thought that you were dead."  
"What?" Sirius sat on a rock for a moment and stared at the ground blankly. "Dead? Me? But… What about Harry?"

"As I told you, he is alive and enjoying his time with his friends."

"But why do they think I'm dead?"

"Because anyone who falls through those curtains always face death. And you are no exception. But your time hasn't come yet. You were not supposed to die. Not this way."

"I can't believe this. Everyone thinks I'm dead, and I'm here talking to a fairy tale character."

"Haven't you heard about the nine kingdoms, Sirius?" Snow White asked.

"The nine kingdoms?" Sirius thought for a moment, then added. "Not that I can remember."

"The nine kingdoms are located far beyond the Great Southern Sea. Which is known as the Great Northern Sea in the kingdoms. It's another dimension where magic still exists. We are believed to be fairy tale characters, but only for those who have never heard about our world. We all do exist. Me, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel. And many more whom are believed to be just a fairy tale. Even my step-mother."

"Do you mean that all those stuff we tell kids are real stories?"

"Yes."

"You were really poisoned by an apple?"

"Yes."

"And a prince came and woke you up with a kiss?"

"Yes. And we got married and we forced my evil step-mother to dance at my wedding, wearing heated iron slippers."

"So you got your revenge. That's good to know."

"I think so. Yes." Snow White replied.

"And you came here just to bring me back to life?"

"Not only. A great danger is threatening the nine kingdoms, which might affect your world as well."

"How can I help?" Sirius asked.

"You have the hardest task. You will know about it when the time comes."

"Does it have something to do with Harry?"

"Not directly, but yes. For now you must stay invisible to the eyes of everyone. You should stay in the form of a dog. You will know when to show up to public."

"That's not a problem. But how long should I stay that way?"

"As long as it takes to clear your name."

"Oh, I see." Sirius nodded. He knew that his name might not be cleared in the near future.

"Only two persons shall know about your return."

"Who are they?"

"Albus Dumbledore and Remus Lupin."

"Remus? Excellent! At least I can talk to someone!" Sirius smiled happily. "But why can't Harry know?"

"Because he has some family affairs to attend. Emily's daughter, Lia will arrive at Hogwarts tomorrow."

"WHAT?" Sirius got up. "Emily had a daughter?"

"Yes. Does that bother you Sirius?"

"Absolutely not!" his smile widened. "I can't believe it! Emily has a daughter! How old is she?"

"Twenty-five."

"Quite a grown up." He said. "What about Emily?"

"Lia will tell you. Now we have to leave this place. You will stay at the Shrieking Shack, just like the time you spent there while looking for Peter Pettigrew."

"Don't mention his name." Sirius said, his smile fading upon hearing the name.

"You will get your revenge Sirius. Once your name is cleared, you can hunt him as a Death Eater and no one will convict you for that."

"He will pay for what he did."

"And I do not doubt it. Now, let's leave, or the Ministry workers might come in and see us." She extended her hand to him. "Hold my hand."

Sirius held her hand and saw a white flash of light that made him close his eyes. When he opened his eyes again he saw himself standing alone in the very same room at the Shrieking Shack where Harry came to save his friend Ron. Sirius smiled at the memory. It's been almost three years since the first day he saw Harry for the first time. Although he frightened him by showing up as a dog at the beginning, but when Harry came to save him at the lake from the dementors and then helping him escape with Buckbeak… Those were some of the memories that brightened his heart.

He threw himself on the bed next to the window and stared at the ceiling. Harry is now at the Burrow and will be here at Hogwarts tomorrow. If he could only see him. But no. Snow White said that only Dumbledore and Remus were to know about his existence.

A brown owl came flying through the window and threw a letter on his lap. Sirius got up and opened the yellowish envelope, and read the short letter:

__

Welcome back Padfoot.

It was from Dumbledore. So he already knew. If Remus was at the castle now, then he would also know. But he would've been here already. That means that he isn't at Hogwarts now. Maybe he's with Emily's daughter. Sirius wished to see her too. He never knew that his best friend's sister had a daughter. She disappeared right after her marriage to that Muggle. Sirius had a hard task on his shoulders. He should stay at this place, until his name was cleared. But when will that happen? He didn't know.

****

O o O o O

Wolf looked around at the forest they have appeared in. Virginia stood closer to him and held his hand.

"Wolf, do you know this place?" Virginia asked.

"No. I haven't been in such a place before." He replied with his mouth dropped open in amazement.

Although it was morning, but it was dark in the forest. The trees didn't allow the sunlight to pass through because of their thickness and height.

Wolf, Virginia, Tony and Wendell walked slowly, trying to stay close to each other.

"Where are we supposed to go?" Tony asked.

"How should I know?" Wolf said, who was at the front.

"Use your nose!" Tony frowned.

"What if I use it? We don't know where are we, and who we are after." Wolf said.

"Stop it you two! Can't you stay together in one place without making an argument?" Virginia asked.

"Sorry love." Wolf said quickly.

"This place doesn't seem normal." Wendell said.

"What do you mean?" Virginia asked.

"It looks like there are no animals to live here."

"There are some animals though." Wolf said, sniffing the air. "Cripes! It can't be!"

"What is it?" Virginia asked.

"A unicorn." Wolf replied, still sniffing. "They live here."

"I thought they were believed to be only a legend." Wendell said.

"There are only few of them remaining." A voice said from behind. They all jumped and were shocked to see who… or what was talking to them.

"Huff-puff!" Wolf said. He couldn't smell the weird looking creature approaching.

"Who are you?" Virginia asked.

"My name is Firenze. I'm a centaur as you see."

"A centaur? They still exist?" Wendell asked.

"You are talking to me, aren't you?" Firenze asked.

"Yes, yes of course." Wendell said. "But it's said that the last centaur was seen two-hundred years ago."

"My dear king. Not all of the books you read are true." Firenze said.

"How did you know I'm a king?" Wendell was amazed.

"King Wendell White. The only grandchild of Snow White and the ruler of the 4th Kingdom. Have been a dog and brought back to his human form by his friends."

"How do you know all that?" Tony asked.

"We just know." Firenze said. All of them looked puzzled. "The stars are our best information source." He simply added.

"Were are we?" Virginia asked.

"In the Forbidden Forest." Firenze replied.

"Forbidden? But why?" Wolf asked.

"Because it is believed to be a dangerous territory for the students to come."

"Students? Do you mean that we are close to some kind of a school?" Tony asked.

"Of course. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I teach there."

"You're a teacher?"

"Yes my dear Sir. I teach Divination."

"Maybe he can help us." Wolf whispered to Virginia.

"You're probably right." Virginia replied and turned to Firenze, "Umm… Firenze, Sir?"

"Just Firenze."

"Okay, thanks. Umm… I was… we were searching for a girl. We don't know her name, but she is known as The-Girl-Who-Lived. Have you heard of her?"

"The-Girl-Who-Lived, the symbol of hate. Yes. She will be at school soon."

"Symbol of hate? What did she do?" Virginia asked.

"She was born. That's what she did." Firenze replied.

"How come she's a symbol of hate just because being born?" Tony asked.

"Her birth caused a heart that barely existed to break. You'll get to know more when you be at Hogwarts." Firenze said and turned to go.

"Wait!" Wendell said, "How can we find our way to the school?"

"Just follow the light." Firenze said and pointed to a direction that was brighter than the other sides of the forest and he left.

"Great!" Tony said, "Another weird place! Just follow the light! Why can't these people just say 'go this way!' or 'Take this way to the left, then to the right!' What have I done to get such punishment!" he looked at the sky, which seemed to be covered by trees.

They walked to the direction that Firenze had showed them. The forest seemed to get brighter as they walked further. Sunlight shone down at them as soon as they reached the edge of the forest. They saw a huge castle rising high in front of them and noticed a hut surrounded by huge pumpkins.

"Let's go and see if they know where the school is." Virginia suggested, pointing to the hut.

They all went and stood in front of the door. Wolf climbed the few stairs and knocked. A dog barked from inside and they all took a few steps back. It didn't seem that the barking came from a little puppy.

"Quiet fang!" a voice was heard from inside. The door was opened and a huge man appeared. "'Ow can I 'elp yeh?" the man said.

"Sorry to disturb you Sir. But we… we were searching for Hogwarts." Wolf said in a shaky voice.

"Yer at Hogwarts grounds!" The man said.

"We are? But this hut is too small to be a school." Wendell said.

"This ain't the school yeh silly! That's the school!" he pointed to the castle.

"Oh, now that makes sense."

"Who are yeh?"

"I'm King Wendell White." Wendell said. "These are my friends Wolf, Virginia and Anthony."

Fang started to bark again. "Shut up Fang! Sorry, he doesn't like strangers. I'm Hagrid. Come in." he said and they all went inside.

"Have a seat. Where do yeh come from?" Hagrid asked them.

"From the Fourth Kingdom." Wendell said.

"Fourth Kingdom? That legendary Fourth Kingdom?"

"So you've heard about it?" Virginia asked.

" 'Course I heard about it. Dumbledore told me yesterday!"

"Who's Dumbledore?" Tony asked.

"The headmaster of course! Good man Dumbledore. The best headmaster the school ever had." Hagrid replied.

Wolf was staring at Fang, half terrified. He hated dogs, not to mention big ones like Fang.

"He won't hurt yeh." Hagrid said. "He's just a puppy."

Wolf raise an eyebrow. "A puppy?"

Hagrid nodded happily. "So, what brings yeh 'ere?" he asked while preparing tea.

"We are searching for a girl." Wendell said.

"Who lived." Tony completed and the teapot almost fell from Hagrid's hand.

"The girl who lived?" he asked.

"Yeah. Do you know where we can find her?" Tony asked.

"A centaur said that she'll be at school soon." Virginia said.

"A centaur? Don' tell me yeh came through the forest, 'ave yeh?"

"Yeah, so?" Virginia replied.

"Yeh could've been killed!"

"Well, it seems we're still alive aren't we?" Wendell replied.

Hagrid poured them tea in his huge mugs and gave one to each. "Have some tea while I go and fetch Dumbledore." He left the house and went to see Dumbledore.

"So that castle is a school?" Virginia asked herself loudly.

"And I thought it was their ruler's palace." Wendell said.

Fang lay near the fireplace staring at Wolf, who seemed quiet for while.

"Wolf, are you alright?" Virginia asked.

"This dog doesn't like me." He replied his eyes fixed on Fang.

"Oh come on! If he didn't like you he wouldn't have sat there all this time." Tony said.

"You can't tell when an animal doesn't like you Tony, so shut up please." Wolf said.

"Hey!" Tony replied, but before he could continue the door was opened and Hagrid came in followed by an old man wearing a green robe. His hair and beard were white as snow and reached his waist. They all got up when they saw them enter.

"Good afternoon." The man said. "I am Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts."

"Good afternoon Sir," Wendell said and took a little bow, "I am King Wendell White and these are my friends Wolf, Anthony and his daughter Virginia."

"Nice to meet you Sir." Tony said and shook Dumbledore's hand.

"I see that Snow White managed to alarm you already." Dumbledore said.

"You know that?" Virginia asked.

"Of course. Snow White was one of my best friends. I talked to her yesterday and she informed me about your arrival."

"And why didn't she tell us how to get here instead of digging the whole library?" Tony asked.

"Because that's how she always liked. To leave people solve the mystery on their own."

Everyone looked puzzled. They stared at each other and didn't know what to say next.

"Why don't we go to my office? I'm sure you don't have a place to spend the night and I'll be honored if you stay at Hogwarts."

"Thank you." Wendell said.

"Alright then, let's go." Dumbledore said and they all went to his office at Hogwarts. Hagrid stayed in his cabin. He had some work to do at his pumpkin yard and he also wanted to write a letter to Harry.

****

O o O o O

"You have a big school." Virginia said as they walked through the corridors.

"And quite an old one." Dumbledore replied.

"You must have thousands of students." Tony said.

"They are many, but not thousands. A few hundreds maybe. It's not easy to remember how many students we have at my age. Besides, they all stay here during their terms, that's why the school building is large."

They reached the end of the corridor and stopped.

"Where's the office door?" Tony asked.

"Snow flake." Dumbledore said and the stone gargoyle that stood in front of the entrance to his office moved to a side making way to a staircase to appear behind the wall.

"Cripes!" Wolf said. "A secret passage."

"I should make such place in my castle." Wendell said in amazement.

They all followed Dumbledore and climbed the stairs. After they entered the office Dumbledore closed the door behind them and sat on his chair behind his desk.

"Have a seat please." He said and waved his wand at them. Four chairs appeared; which made them jump.

"Huff-puff! How did you do that?" Wolf asked.

"Simple magic my friend." Dumbledore replied.

They all sat and looked around them. There were many portraits of old wizards and witches on the walls and to their amazement, they were moving! Fawks was sitting in his nest looking at the guests who had just arrived.

"This is Fawks." Dumbledore said, "He's my pet. A phoenix."

"A phoenix?" Wolf asked. "Aren't they supposed to be just a legend?"

"Maybe they are a legend in your world my friend. Besides, Fawks is the last phoenix existing."

"This is amazing." Virginia said. "What about those portraits?"

"Magic. You will be amazed by everything you see in here. As there is no magic in the Muggle world."

"What's Muggle world?" Tony asked.

"Muggles are humans who can't do magic." Dumbledore said.

"Oh. So we are considered Muggles?" Wolf asked.

"They are, but you're not. You are half-breed aren't you?"

"Half-wolf." Wolf replied.

"Oh yes." Dumbledore said calmly.

"But how did you know that I wasn't a complete human?" Wolf asked.

"Your eyes says everything about you, even if you try to hide your true identity."

"And you don't have a problem with that?" Wolf asked, "I mean, about me being a half-wolf sitting in your office."

"And why should I have a problem? I had a student who is a werewolf, who also became a teacher in this school. And you must know that they are more complicated than your kind."

"Yes I know." Wolf replied, slightly blushing. It was good to know that at least the headmaster didn't throw him out of the window by knowing that he's a half-wolf.

"Mr. Dumbledore, sir?" Virginia said. "Snow White told me that the nine kingdoms are in great danger. And only the girl can help us to save the kingdoms."

"Yes, I am aware of that." Dumbledore replied.

"So, how are we supposed to find her? I mean, we don't even know her name, or how she looks like."

"She will arrive to Hogwarts tomorrow. She is spending the weekend with her cousin."

"Excellent! We won't have to search for her!" Tony said excitedly.

"Yes, but you will have to search for the source of the danger threatening your kingdoms."

Tony's face went pale. He didn't like the idea of not having a clue about what was coming next. "And how are we supposed to do so?"

"Time will tell my friend." Dumbledore replied.

"Firenze told us that this girl is the symbol of hate just because she was born." Wendell said.

"And that is true." Dumbledore said.

"But why? How could a person become some kind of a symbol just because they are born?"

"Maybe she's a half-wolf!" Wolf interrupted.

"It seems that you are hated in your kingdom to be saying this, aren't you?" Dumbledore asked, and Wolf nodded. "You are lucky then." Dumbledore continued.

Wolf was amazed. How could he be lucky? His whole family had been burnt to death just because they were half-wolves. He couldn't be lucky. Well, except for meeting Virginia. He considers himself the luckiest man (or half-wolf) in the world.

"In your kingdoms Snow White's step-mother is considered to be the most powerful evil witch." They all nodded. "And although she is dead, she continues to be a source of threat and great danger. Doesn't she?"

"Yes. It's been to weeks since we saved the kingdoms from her evil plans." Wendell said and looked to Virginia. She gave him a sad smile. Virginia's mother, Queen Christine was the successor of Snow White's stepmother, who was also known as the swamp witch. Virginia had had to kill her mother in self-defense to save the kingdoms at Prince Wendell's coronation ball.

"Snow White told me about it." Dumbledore said. "It has been a brave move of your side young lady." He told Virginia. "Not everyone can show bravery as you did. But of course, I know how you feel about what you had accomplished. Now, as I was saying. You have the Evil Queen in your kingdoms, and we have Voldemort. He is the source of evil in our world. Many people, or should I say everyone in our world fear him. They do not even say his name loudly."

"What do they call him?" Wolf asked.

"You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." Dumbledore said.

"That's weird." Tony said. "How are they supposed to defeat him if they can't even say his name?"

"He has caused to much pain and fear. Every now and then he decides to strike. In the past five years his only aim was Harry Potter. The one who is marked as his equal."

"That was in the book!" Wendell said as he remembered what he read in the thin red book. "_ One will be marked as equal to the Dark Lord and another will be marked as symbol of hate._ So Harry Potter is his equal? Isn't he dangerous as Vol.. Vol.. What was his name?"

"Voldemort. And no, Harry is not as dangerous as Voldemort. He is a young good wizard. I believe you'll meet him tomorrow when he comes. He is Lia's cousin."

"Who's Lia?" Tony asked.

"The Girl Who Lived. Oh, forgive me, I haven't told you her name." Dumbledore said.

"Looks like we're lucky these days aren't we?" Tony asked. "Both of the marked people are going to be here tomorrow and I think that we're going to save the kingdoms in no time at all."

"I wish I had the same hopes as you Tony." Wolf said.

"Why shouldn't you? It's a piece of cake! The girl will be here tomorrow, we'll get to know what's the problem, and it's solved." Tony said.

"Anthony, I think that you're missing the point here. The girl is the key to the problem only. She can help us to save the kingdoms, she might not even know that there is such place as the nine kingdoms." Wendell said.

"Dad, Wendell's right. Snow White told me that only the girl would be able to help us. And even she didn't know who is the source of the threat. She said that there's a strong magic covering it."

"That can mean one thing." Dumbledore said and they all looked at him. "Voldemort has a new evil plan in his mind."

Tony's heart sank. "I knew it would be something like that. We can't live without troubles, can't we?"

"Dad, I'm sure we can solve this one." Virginia said. "Let's wait for tomorrow and see what would happen."

"I believe it is time for me to show you the way to your rooms. Follow me please." Dumbledore said as he got up. They followed him out of his office, through the corridors and to the stairs. They climbed the stairs and passed the portrait of the Fat Lady and stood in front of a portrait of an old lady. "Butterbeer." Dumbledore said and the portrait moved to open a door through the wall. "Follow me." He said and they all went inside.

"Do you have passwords for every room you enter?" Wendell asked.

"Only my office and the entrance to the common rooms of the houses have passwords. And of course, yours too."

The room they were in was large. Windows raise high to the ceiling and the Forbidden Forest was viewable from there. Dumbledore waved his wand at the fireplace and small fire flames appeared. The room started to get warmer.

"This is the common room. You may meet your guests in here. Over there," he pointed to the left, "is the passage to the boys dormitories. And there," he pointed to the right, "is the passage to the girls dormitories. This room was designed for guest students from other schools who would visit Hogwarts. You may arrange your stay in the rooms as you wish." He looked from Wolf to Virginia.

"Is there a password to get in there?" Virginia asked.

"No. The password is only for the main entrance." Dumbledore said. "I have to attend some school affairs now. If you need anything you can call the house-elves. They'll be more than happy to help you."

"Thank you sir." Wendell said. Dumbledore smiled and left.

"He looks like a nice person." Virginia said.

"I wonder how old is he?" Wolf asked.

"He said that he's a friend of Snow White." Wendell said. "So that makes him about two-hundred."

"No, Cinderella is two-hundred. Snow White was younger than her." Wolf said.

"Yes, you're right. He must be at least a hundred."

"Snow White wasn't that much younger than Cinderella! Come on Wendell! Can't you even remember how old was your grandmother?"

"Professor Dumbledore is one-hundred and fifty years old." Said a tiny voice.

"Who's that?" Tony said looking around, but he couldn't notice anyone. But he felt his trousers being pulled from below. He looked down and saw an elf smiling at him with his wide circular eyes.

"Who're you?" Tony said.

"Me is Dobby, Sir. Me is to serve you." Dobby said.

"Hi Dobby!" Wolf said and jumped in front of him. Dobby took a few steps back. "Don't be scared, I won't hurt you."

"Sir is half-breed?" Dobby asked.

"Yes. Does that bother you?"

"Not at all Sir. Bad Dobby! Shouldn't say that! Bad Dobby!" Dobby ran to the wall and started hitting his head as a punishment.

"Hey stop it! You'll kill yourself!" Virginia said and pulled him away from the wall. "Why did you do that?"

"Dobby must punish himself for being rude." He said.

"You weren't rude little fellow." Wolf said. "You know that I'm not a complete human, and I asked if it bothers you. There's nothing wrong in that. People fear me because I am half-breed. I wanted to make sure if you're afraid or not."

"Dobby is not afraid of anyone. Dobby is a free elf!" Dobby said proudly.

"Good for you." Tony said.

"Dobby, can I ask you for a favor?" Wolf asked.

"Yes Sir."

"Can you tell us how to find food here?"

"Dobby will bring food." Dobby said and with a small pop, he vanished.

"Well, at least we know how to get food." Wolf said with wide smile of his face.

In a moment the table was full of different kinds of food. Wolf was the first to rush to the table and helped himself with everything he could reach. After they had their lunch, the table was clean again and Dobby appeared again.

"Dobby that was the best food we ever had. It tasted wonderful." Virginia said.

"Yeah, and make the meat a little bit rare for the next time." Wolf said. "It was over cooked."

"No it wasn't." Virginia said.

"It was. Trust me." Wolf said.

"Oh will you two stop it?" Wendell said and turned to the house-elf. "Dobby, next time make sure that you bring one plate of raw meat for Wolf alright?"

"Yes Sir. But may Dobby ask why raw?"

"Because I'm a half-wolf and I like raw meat." Wolf said with an innocent looking smile.

"Dobby must go now. Winky is not feeling well. Dobby must 'elp."

"Who's Winky?" Virginia asked.

"Dobby's friend. She is sad because her master gave her clothes." Dobby said and vanished with a loud pop.

"These house-elves are strange, aren't they?" Tony asked.

"Wait till you see other creatures. I heard that they had so many strange creatures in this world." Wendell said.

They were at the common room all day. They didn't get out because the feared to be lost in the huge castle. Wolf and Virginia spent their day by exploring the dormitories, while Wendell sat in front of the fireplace and read a book. Tony joined him in front of the fireplace, only to sleep.

At evening, they settled themselves in the dormitories. Wolf and Virginia insisted to share a room against Tony's will.

"You are not sharing a room unless you are married!" he said.

"But we have been living together for the last two weeks!" Wolf said.

"I wasn't there. So that doesn't count."

"Dad! I'm not a child anymore and I can take care of myself. I am sharing a room with Wolf." Virginia said.

"Tony, will you please leave them alone?" Wendell said. "I'm having a headache because all of your fighting!"

"Can't you see what's happening Wendell?!" Tony asked. "You should stand by my side!"

"Anthony Lewis, if you don't shut your mouth at this moment, I will demand that you are taken back to the fourth kingdom! Please shut up. Only this time, please." Wendell said and entered his room.

"What's wrong with him?" Tony said and he went to his room after seeing that he can't win this battle.

"Well, looks like we have our own room." Wolf said.

"Yep. I really feel sleepy. Let's go to bed." Virginia said and they also went to their room.


	7. The Meeting

****

Chapter seven - The Meeting

Mrs. Weasley woke up early and headed to the kitchen. Everyone was still sleeping except for Rex who was lying on the bed next to Lia waiting for her to wake up.

Harry opened his eyes. Ron was snoring. He got up slowly and got dressed, trying not to wake Ron up, and then he went downstairs to the kitchen.

"Good morning Mrs. Weasley." He said, rubbing his eyes and adjusting his glasses.

"Good morning Harry. How did you sleep?" she replied.

"Fine, I guess. How's Lia?"

"Still asleep. Nothing happened at night, thankfully."

Harry sat near the table and Mrs. Weasley gave him a cup of tea. "Here, drink this. Breakfast will be ready soon." She said.

Harry took the cup and put it on the table. He wasn't in a mood to drink tea at this moment. All he wanted was to see Lia alright. After a few moments Mr. Weasley entered the kitchen, followed by Ginny and Remus.

"Good morning everyone." Mr. Weasley said as he sat next to Harry.

"Good morning dear." Mrs. Weasley replied.

"How is Lia now mom?" Ginny asked.

"I think she's fine dear. She's still asleep."

Lia opened her eyes slowly. She looked around and noticed that Rex was near her, his head on her stomach. She smiled at him and tried to remember where she was. Finally, her memory came back to her and she remembered that she was at the Burrow. Only, she couldn't remember why Rex had that concerned look in his eyes. The last thing she remembers was being in the kitchen helping Mrs. Weasley.

"Hi Rex." She said in a tired voice. She tried to sit, but her whole body ached. It seemed to her that she had been working on a construction site or something. Rex raise his head and then nuzzled her neck and face.

"I'm alright. Don't worry." She said and petted him. She lay there and looked at the window. It was morning she assumed. The sunlight was coming through the curtains. She could hear birds singing happily outside.

"Rex, could you go and call Remus or Harry?" she asked the dog.

Rex got up quickly and managed to open the door, which was slightly opened, by sticking his nose between it and the wall. He went downstairs and headed to the kitchen.

"I'll have some toast please." Remus said.

"Here you go." Mr. Weasley said as he passed the toast to Remus.

Rex entered the kitchen and headed to Remus.

"Well, looks like we have another hungry fellow." Remus said. Rex started to pull his pants. "What is it boy?" Remus asked.

Rex let go of Remus's pants and went to Harry and started pulling his shirt.

"I think he wants us to follow him." Harry said.

Remus got up. "I think he wants to say that Lia is awake. I'll go and see her." He said.

"I'm coming too." Harry said and also got up.

"Excuse us." Remus said and he went to Ginny's room with Harry. Rex hurried upstairs with them waving his tail proudly.

Lia smiled when she saw them enter the room. She tried to sit but Remus stopped her.

"Don't get up Lia. You need to rest." He said.

"But I'm fine. Only my body hurts a little." She complained.

"That's exactly why you should stay in bed." Remus said.

"How did you sleep Lia?" Harry asked. He felt stupid now. He didn't know what else to say at this moment.

"Well, I really don't know." Lia said. "I don't remember what happened last night."

"You were on the ground in the kitchen, screaming in pain." Harry said.

"I was?"

"You don't remember it?" Remus asked.

"No. I just remember that I felt warm. I don't remember anything after that. It's all blurry to me." Lia said.

"After we brought you here, you lost consciousness." Harry said as he sat next to her on the bed. "We were so scared. And then Madam Pomfrey came and Professor Dumbledore too."

"The headmaster? He was here too?" Lia was surprised.

"Yes. And we are going to Hogwarts today." Remus said. "We'll leave as soon as you feel better."

"But we were supposed to go on Tuesday." Lia said.

"Plans changed. I'll go and ask Molly to bring you some breakfast." Remus said and went out.

"You really don't remember anything?" Harry asked.

"Nothing at all. Usually, I know what's happening to me and Rex is always there to help."

Harry thought that Voldemort might have possessed Lia. But then, he remembered about Ginny telling him about how it felt to be possessed by Voldemort. Ginny couldn't remember what she had done on the next day. But Lia just felt pain. She didn't do anything. This was confusing him.

"Lia, do you remember hearing voices?" he asked her.

"No. I guess not." She thought for a moment. "I remember seeing my mother!" she said suddenly. "Yeah, I saw my mother and then my scar started to burn. I don't remember anything after that."

"I wonder what would Dumbledore say." Harry said.

"What would he know about it?"

"He knows a lot. Trust me. Even if he doesn't show it, he knows more than anyone else." Harry said.

Mrs. Weasley came into the room with a tray full of bacon, eggs, toasts and a cup of tea.

"How are you feeling dear?" she asked as she put the tray on a small table near the bed.

"I'm fine, thanks." Lia said with a smile.

"You scared the ghosts out of us you know."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

"I know that you didn't mean it dear." Mrs. Weasley said with a motherly smile. "Now eat your breakfast, and you'll feel better. I'll be downstairs if you need me."

"Okay, thanks."

"Mrs. Weasley, is Ron awake?" Harry asked.

"Yes, he's in the kitchen now."

"Okay, I'll see him later. I want to tell him that I'm going to Hogwarts today."

"Alright dear." Mrs. Weasley said and went out of the room, closing the door gently after her.

"You're coming too?" Lia asked.

"Yeah. I asked Professor Dumbledore if I could come and he said yes." Harry said with a smile.

"Good. And I thought I wouldn't see you until September."

"I won't let anyone separate us." Harry said. "I wonder which house you will be sorted to."

"Sorted? How does that work?"

"There's this hat which is called The Sorting Hat. Each first year student puts it on and the hat shouts the name of the house they should join. The houses are Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff."

"Wow! Which house are you in?"

"Gryffindor. It's a good one, the best I should say. And I must inform you that the Slytherins are not that friendly."

"So I guess I should avoid them, huh?"

"Not if you can handle them." Harry laughed. "They can be so annoying sometimes."

"I see." Lia tried to sit up and this time she managed to do so. "I hate lying in bed."

"Tell me about it! I had such times at the hospital wing at Hogwarts. Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let me move!"

"Doctors are all the same." Lia said.

"You should eat your breakfast, it's getting cold."

"Yeah."

Harry got up and gave her the tray; she put it on her lap and started to eat. "This tastes good." She said.

"Mrs. Weasley cooks pretty well." Harry replied. "Listen, I should go downstairs and see Ron. Will you be alright without me?"

"Yeah, you go ahead. I'll be fine. I'll send Rex if I need anything."

"Okay." Harry went to the kitchen to see Ron.

Lia ate some toast and bacon and gave the rest to her dog. She wasn't feeling hungry. She drank her tea and put the tray on the table near her bed.

"I think I better get dressed." She said and got out of bed. She took off her nightgown which she couldn't remember wearing it last night and put on her blue jeans with a white T-shirt. She packed her bag and covered the bed. Then she took the food tray and went to the kitchen to join the others. Rex followed her closely.

"Good morning everyone." She said with a cheerful voice.

"Lia! You shouldn't be out of bed!" Mrs. Weasley said.

"Oh I don't like lying in bed all day." Lia said.

"Had breakfast?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Yes." She turned to Mrs. Weasley; "It was delicious. Thank you."

"I'm glad you liked it." Mrs. Weasley said with a smile.

Lia pulled out an empty chair and joined the table.

"Harry, how about flying for a few minutes?" Ron asked.

"Sure."

Lia didn't know how were they supposed to fly, but she thought that it has to be magic. She would wait and see.

Ron and Harry finished their breakfast and headed to their room to get their brooms, and then they went to the back yard.

"Ready?" Ron asked.

"Yes." Harry replied as he mounted his Firebolt.

"Okay. Let's go!" Ron said and they both kicked the ground and flew high in the sky.

Lia and Ginny also came to the back yard. Ginny looked at the sky at once, but Lia looked around instead.

"Where are they?"

"Up there." Ginny said and pointed to Ron.

"Wow! You fly on brooms?" Lia asked as she looked up.

"Yes."

"And I was wondering how were they going to do that. It's amazing!"

"Hey Lia! Wanna try it?" Harry called from the sky.

"No thanks. I'm fine here." Lia replied as she looked at him.

"Harry has the best broom. It's the latest model." Ginny said.

"They come in models?"

"Of course! He had a Nimbus 2000 but he crashed it a couple of years ago and then he received his Firebolt as a present from his Godfather. Ron's broom is a Cleansweep. He got it when he was chosen as a prefect."

"Oh. How… impressive." Lia said, not sure what a prefect was. But she figured that it's some sort of a title at school. "You know, Harry told me about the sorting hat. Which house are you in?"

"Gryffindor. Ron is a Gryffindor too. In fact, all of our family members were Gryffindors."

"It must be great to be in the same house with your brother. Isn't it?"

"Sometimes." Ginny giggled. "If you don't count Fred and George."

"Ah, the twins. They seem to be nice kids."

"They are nice to the people they like. But if you ask any teacher about them they can tell you tons of stories about the problems they caused at school. And the last ones they did before they left were impressive. They know so many tricks."

"I think I'll ask them to teach me some." Lia laughed.

Ron and Harry landed in front of the girls.  
"You should start broom racing games at school." Lia said.

"The only game we play on brooms is Quidditch." Ron said.

"You'll learn about it when you see us play." Harry added.

"A stupid teacher who worked for the Ministry banned Harry from playing on the Gryffindor team last year. As well as Fred and George." Ron said.

"But why?" Lia asked.

"Because we had to use self defense." Ron said.

"And you were banned from playing just because of that?" Lia turned to Harry.

"Yeah. She didn't like me because I was a mad-boy who said that Voldemort is back." Harry said. Ron and Ginny flinched at the name.

"Does she still teach there?"

"No. Thankfully, Harry and Hermione got rid of her." Ron said.

Harry told Lia everything about Umbridge, since the day she came to school. Lia couldn't stop gasping at the awful things Umbridge had done to the students.

After he finished his story they went inside. Harry went to pack his trunk and Ron went up to help him, while Lia and Ginny went to the living room.

"Where were you?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"We were watching Ron and Harry flying on their brooms." Ginny said as she sat down.

"When are we leaving?" Lia asked.

"Just as soon as your ready." Remus said.

"I've packed this morning."

"Really? So, what are we waiting for? Let's go." Remus said.

"Harry is packing his trunk." Ginny said.

"Alright then, we'll wait for him to finish."

"Remus, how are we going to get there?" Lia asked.

"Floo powder. We're going to Hagrid's Hut first as we can't get straight into the castle."

"Why can't we get into the castle?"

"The school is protected with many charms. There are some kind of magic that wouldn't work there." Remus replied.

Lia just nodded. This whole place was confusing her and she knew that she was going to see more stuff that were going to cause her more shock. She decided that she wouldn't ask questions anymore and will wait until she sees everything and try to figure them out.

Harry came into the living room. "I'm ready." He said.

"Good. Because we were about to leave." Remus said.

"Really? That's wonderful! So, how are we going to get there?"

"Floo powder. Arthur will you give us some?" Remus turned to Mr. Weasley.

"Sure." Mr. Weasley said and brought the floo powder.

"Now, Harry take your trunk and go to Hagrid's Hut." Remus said.

Harry took some powder and threw it in the fireplace and said: "Hagrid's Hut." The fire gave green sparkles and Harry waved good-bye to the others and stepped through it pulling his trunk after him.

Lia watched him disappear in the fire with an opened mouth. "He… He…" she tried to say something, but couldn't manage.

"He's alright Lia. Don't worry." Remus said. "Now it's your turn. Come one."

Remus took some floo powder and put it in Lia's hand. "Now throw it into the fire and say 'Hagrid's Hut' with a clear voice. Don't be afraid, you can't get lost. I'll bring Rex with me. Just tell Harry to keep Fang away for a while."

Lia nodded and took the powder. She threw it into the fire, which gave green sparkles. She hesitated for a moment but then she said "Hagrid's Hut" clearly and slowly stepped through the fire. For her amazement, it didn't burn. It was like a cool breeze. She closed her eyes and felt herself being dragged. Then she felt herself falling on a solid ground and heard a dog barking.

"Shut up Fang!" Hagrid said.

Harry helped Lia to stand up and took her bag and put it to a side.

"Hagrid, this is Lia. My cousin." Harry said.

"Blimey! Yeh look jus' like yer mum." Hagrid said. "I mean… Nice ter meet yeh Lia."

"Nice to meet you too Sir." Lia said. She was amazed by the size of the man standing in front of her.

"Call me Hagrid. Just Hagrid." Hagrid said.

"Alright, Hagrid." Lia said with a smile. He wasn't bad after all. But Fang kept barking at her.

"Fang! Where're yer manners?" Hagrid said, shooting a disappointed look at Fang who didn't seem to care.

"Maybe he could smell Rex from my clothes." Lia said.

"Who's Rex?" Hagrid asked.

"Her dog Hagrid. And you better take Fang away for a while, because Remus is coming with Rex."

"Fang wouldn't hurt him." Hagrid said.

"But they don't know each other Hagrid. Alright, just keep hold of him." Harry said and at that moment Remus came out of the fire accompanied with Rex. Who jumped at Lia and started licking her face.

"Hi Rex. Liked the journey through fire?" she asked. Rex barked once, but that made Fang restart his barking again. Rex turned to see a huge black dog behind him, being held by his master. He walked slowly toward fang and barked.

"I think we should let them go out." Remus said. "I wouldn't want to witness a dog fight inside here."

But as soon as Rex barked, Fang stopped his share of barking. The two dogs sniffed each other and seemed to be accepting one another's presence.

"I don't think we need to send them out." Harry said.

"Hagrid, can you keep Rex with you while we go and meet Professor Dumbledore?" Remus asked.

"With pleasure." Hagrid replied.

Remus, Lia and Harry went to the castle. They all headed straight to Dumbledore's office. Remus said the password and the stone gargoyle moved aside to open the entrance to the hidden staircase. They climbed the stairs and reached Dumbledore's office. Remus knocked and opened the door.

"Professor?"

"Come in Remus." Dumbledore said. Remus entered, followed by Harry and Lia.

"Ah! I see that you're feeling better Miss Jones." Dumbledore said.

"Yes Sir. I feel a lot better today." Lia replied, her face turning pink.

"Good." Dumbledore said. "Everyone, have a seat please."

Dumbledore waved his wand and three chairs appeared. Each one took a chair and sat, while Dumbledore sat in his chair behind his desk.

"First, Harry you will stay in your Gryffindor dormitory. As for Miss Jones, since she isn't sorted yet, she will have a separate room in the west tower. That will be next to Remus's room." Dumbledore said. "Remus, I want you to show Miss Jones the school and the way to her room."

"Of course Professor." Remus replied.

"We have other guests who are settled in the guest dormitory next to Gryffindor's." Dumbledore said.

"Guests? At this time of year?" Harry asked.

"Yes Harry, they are not representing a wizardry school. They are here on a quest. We will discuss more about this when you meet them."

Lia looked puzzled. What do those guests have to do with her? Why should she meet them at the first place? She felt that there was something being hidden from her. But she didn't know what.

"Now, Miss Jones." Dumbledore turned to Lia. "As you know, you were supposed to start your lessons on Tuesday. But due to change in plans you didn't have the time to visit Diagon Alley do to your required shopping. Remus and Harry will escort you there tomorrow to buy all the required materials and on Tuesday, you will start your first lessons. Professor McGonagall will hand your schedule to you that day. Remus is appointed as your guardian since you do not belong to a house yet."

Lia nodded silently. Harry looked at her. He had the same confused look on the first day he arrived at Hogwarts. But he was only eleven and he went to classes with students of the same age. Lia's case was different. She was 25 and lived all these years as a Muggle. It would be so hard for her to adjust to the wizarding world. If only Hermione was here. She should've known what to do.

"How about going to the great hall to have some lunch with our guests?" Dumbledore suggested.

"Good idea." Remus said and they all got up. They headed to the Great Hall and on their way Dumbledore Nearly Headless Nick passing.

"Nicholas!" Dumbledore called.

"Yes Professor?" Nearly Headless Nick flew toward them. Lia's eyes flashed open. A talking ghost! A ghost!

"Nicholas, will you ask our guests to come to the Great Hall for lunch?"

"With pleasure." Nearly Headless Nick said and flew through the ceiling.

"You have ghosts around this place?" Lia asked.

"Of course we do. We can't live without them. They are so helpful. If you don't count Peeves of course." Dumbledore replied as they continued to walk to the Great Hall.

"Who's Peeves?" Lia whispered to Harry.

"You don't wanna know." Harry said.

"Okay." Lia muttered as they continued their way to the Great Hall.

"Are all the teachers here Professor?" Remus asked.

"Yes, Remus. I've asked them to spend their summer at Hogwarts to teach Lia." Dumbledore replied.

As they entered the Great Hall, Harry saw all his teachers gathered near a small table in the middle of the hall.

"Good afternoon." Dumbledore said as they approached the table. "I see that our guests are not here yet."

"Have you sent anyone to call them Professor?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Yes Minerva. They should be arriving now."

At that moment four pale faced people entered the Great Hall. Harry knew instantly that they haven't seen a ghost before and Nearly Headless Nick's appearance might have frightened them.

"Ah! Here they are." Dumbledore said. "Come my friends, join us."

They all sat around the table. Hagrid beamed at Harry and Lia when he saw them and they smiled back. Dumbledore sat at the head of the table and when he saw everyone settled, he stood up.

"First, let me introduce you to our new guests who come from the far Fourth Kingdom." Dumbledore said. "King Wendell White, Mr. Anthony Lewis and his daughter Miss Virginia Lewis and Mr. Warren Wolfson, simply known as Wolf."

The teachers greeted the guests and Dumbledore continued. "As you notice, Harry Potter is also here with us, as well as Professor Remus Lupin."

Snape didn't seem happy to see Remus again. But greeted him with a nod.

"And this young lady here is Lia Jones. Daughter of once a Hogwarts student Emily Potter."

Everyone gasped at the mention of Emily's name. Lia looked even more puzzled. The teachers also greeted her and she managed to smile at them.

"As you all know Emily has died several years ago by the hands of no one else but Voldemort. Thankfully, her daughter survived. Although in a mysterious way as Harry."

Lia lowered her head. She didn't like to be reminded of that event.

"Now, how about filling our stomachs? Work discussion can wait until after lunch. We have so much to do this summer. We have a witch here who doesn't know anything about the wizarding world and we have to do our best to fill her in." And with a wave of his hand different dishes of food appeared in front of them and they started to eat.

"Mmm, delicious." Wolf said between bites.

"Wolf, behave yourself!" Virginia whispered to him, but he didn't seem to listen. He kept filling his stomach with everything he could reach.

After finishing their plates, Dumbledore cleared the table with a wave of his hand. Wolf seemed disappointed though; he wanted to eat more.

"Now, to our main subject." Dumbledore said, and everyone listened carefully. "Miss Jones here has been protected with powerful charms by her mother to keep her away from the wizarding world. But after Emily's tragic death, the charms seemed to lose their effects and Professor McGonagall's magic auto-quill has detected an inexperienced witch. So, we have invited Miss Jones to study at Hogwarts. And due to her age, she cannot join classes with the first years, so I am suggesting that all of you teachers do your best to teach her everything she need until the start of terms. I need her to reach the level of a fifth year student. She will be attending classes with the fifth years and give her O.W.L.s exams with them at the end of term."

All the staff members seemed surprised. Lia was concerned. She didn't know how was she going to take a four-year length course within three months. Harry squeezed her hand and when she looked at him, he smiled, meaning that he will help her with her lessons. Lia smiled back.

"Professor," Professor Snape spoke. "Don't you think it's impossible to learn a four-year length of different subjects within a few months?"

"Not when the student is twenty five years old Severus. I know that Miss Jones will do well. And even if she fails to pass the exams before the start of terms, she will still be receiving privet lessons. And of course, she will attend classes with the appropriate year."

"Is she going to be sorted?" Professor Flitwick asked.

"Of course. She will be sorted with the new first years who will arrive on September." Dumbledore replied.

"Now, if you don't have anymore questions concerning Miss Jones' education, I want to talk to you about something rather important." Dumbledore paused for a moment to see if there were any other questions, and when no body talked, he continued. "Our friends from the Fourth Kingdom have arrived here to seek our help in saving their kingdom. Miss Lewis has seen a dream where Snow White warned her about a possible danger threatening their world."

"Snow White?" Snape said with sarcastic tone. "The last time I heard about Snow White was when I was six years old. She is believed to be a legend. Along with the nine kingdoms."

"In fact Severus, the nine kingdoms do exist. And Snow White too. Although she is dead, but she continues to exist as a fairy." Dumbledore said.

"I've seen her once." Virginia said, looking at Snape.

"And she is my grandmother." Wendell said.

Snape pursed his lips and nodded to them trying his best to form a smile, which he couldn't manage.

"Your grandmother?" Professor Flitwick said with a look of surprise on his face. "I should've figured it out when Dumbledore introduced you. Ruler of the Fourth Kingdom, and your last name is White! It's an honor Your Majesty."

Wendell smiled proudly. Finally someone, other than Dumbledore, recognized his grandmother.

"Miss Lewis, could you please inform us about what exactly did Snow White tell you?" Dumbledore asked Virginia.

"She said that the kingdoms are in danger and she couldn't know who is the source of the danger because there was some kind of a strong magic covering it. She also said that only the-girl-who-lived can help us save the kingdoms." Virginia said.

"But we don't know how to find her." Wolf said.

"I am please to inform you that you have found her. Miss Jones is the-girl-who-lived." Dumbledore said. Wolf gasped. Virginia looked surprised and a wide smile formed on her face. Wendell and Tony exchanged surprised looks.

"I am what?" Lia asked.

"You and Harry are the only ones who survived the death curse." Professor McGonagall said.

"So? How am I supposed to help if I don't even know about their place?" Lia asked.

"We don't know yet. Snow White didn't say anything." Virginia said. "She just said that you're the key to saving the kingdoms."

"Miss Jones can't be helpful if she doesn't know anything about wizardry. So, I say that we wait until she masters at least the basics of magic and then we will start planning." Dumbledore said.

"I agree with the Headmaster." Said Wendell. "If she is going to break a strong curse, I believe she should know about them."

"But we don't know when will the enemy strike!" Tony said. "They might start right away!"

"I am sure if Voldemort is behind this whole mess, then he won't act that fast. He loves long planning." Dumbledore said.

"What if it's not Voldemort?" Harry asked.

"Good point Harry. I was waiting for that question." Dumbledore replied. "Even if it's someone else, they need Voldemort to get to Lia. Otherwise, why should she be the key to solve this problem?"

"I just can't understand the point of Lia being the key." Remus said.

"All of us will understand when the time comes Remus." Dumbledore said. "Now, I think that it is time for you to take Lia to Diagon Alley. She needs her equipment to start her lessons."

"Yes, Professor." Remus said and got up. "Lia, let's go. Harry, are you coming?"

"Yeah." Harry said and also got up. They went out of the Great Hall and walked through the corridors.

"Now, we will first go to Hogsmeade and then to Diagon Alley." Remus said.

"How are we supposed to get there? Are we going to use brooms?" Harry asked.

"Harry, I am so disappointed with your way of thinking!" Remus said. "Who used the Marauder's Map to sneak to Hogsmeade three years ago?"

"Oh, I forgot about it." Harry blushed.

"It's okay. Now, let's go to the third floor." Remus said.

They reached the statue of the one-eyed witch and Remus took out his wand and tapped the statue.

"Dissendium!" he said and the hump of the statue opened to show a wide passage. "Harry, you go first."

Harry did as he was told and Lia followed. Remus looked around to make sure no one saw them and finally, he also entered the passage.

Both Harry and Remus held out their wands and called "Lumos!" and a light appeared on the top of the wands. They walked through the thin passage until they reached the basement of Honeydukes. They got out carefully and closed the hole. Then, they walked into the shop as they were one of the customers and they got out of it quickly. Remus took them to Three Broomsticks.

"There's a secret passage to Diagon Alley located at the Three Broomsticks." Remus said.

"You mean like the one at the Leaky Cauldron?" Harry asked.

"Exactly the same."

They entered and Remus headed to the door behind the bar. Harry and Lia followed him. They got out in a place that seemed like a back yard, only filled with trashcans and surrounded by brick walls. Remus took out his wand tapped the wall with it. The bricks started to move and parted away to open the way to Diagon Alley.

They walked through the streets of Diagon Alley. Lia couldn't believe her eyes. This place was full of wizards and witches!

"We need to go to the bank first." Remus said.

They went to the bank and Lia took out some money that her mother has left her in her bank account. Then they went to buy all she needed for school, except for a broom. As she was a new student, and considered equal to the first years, she wasn't allowed to have one.

They came back to the Three Broomsticks and sat there to drink butterbeer, after which they headed back to Honeydukes. On their way Harry caught a glimpse of a black shape moving. He stopped and looked around but didn't see anything. He shrugged and continued to walk. After a few moments he saw the shape again, he tried not to turn, and looked by the corner of his eyes. At the sight of a familiar looking black dog, Harry stopped and turned around.

"What is it Harry?" Remus asked.

"I… I think I saw him!" Harry said, still not believing what he saw.

"Saw who?" Remus asked.

"Snuffles." Harry said.

"Harry, you know that he's…"

"Yes. I know. But I jus saw him!"

"Maybe it was just an illusion. Come on, let's go." Remus said and they continued their way to Honeydukes.

When they reached the castle, it was darkening outside. Remus noticed that Harry was nervous.

"Harry, do you want to talk about it?"

Harry looked at him. "No." he said and shook his head. "It was an illusion. I think I miss him and that's why I thought I saw him."

"Who's Snuffles?" Lia asked.

"Sirius." Remus replied simply.

"Oh."

"I think I'll go to my room." Harry said. "I'll see you tomorrow Lia, okay?"

"Okay."

Harry left them and went to his room at the Gryffindor tower.

"He can't get over it, can't he?" Lia asked, still looking at Harry who was heading to the stairs.

"I don't think so. He was devastated when Sirius died." Remus said. "But I think he will get over it in time."

'_Easy for you to say._' Lia thought.

"Alright, let's go and take your stuff to your room." Remus said.

Remus helped Lia to take all her shopping to her room. After which he wished her a good night and went to his room to sleep.

Lia lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She was going to start her lessons tomorrow and she was excited. She hoped that she could master everything she was about to learn, so she would make her mother proud of her.


	8. The Dream At The Hospital Wing

****

Chapter eight - The Dream At The Hospital Wing

Lia's first day as a student at Hogwarts was supposed to be exciting. She woke up early in the morning and got dressed. She opened her wardrobe and took out her black robe. She put it on and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Well, Miss Jones, this is it. Your first day as a witch." She told herself.

She looked at her schedule that Professor McGonagall had given her and saw that her first class was potions. She didn't know what kind of a teacher was Professor Snape, but judging from his behavior yesterday at lunch, she knew that it wasn't going to be easy with him. She took her bag and went to the Great Hall for breakfast. On her way she saw Harry. His hair was in a mess and he looked sleepy.

"Harry!" she called.

Harry turned to see who was calling him and he smiled when he saw his cousin. "Good morning Lia."

"Good morning. Thank God I met you. This place is so huge and I thought I was going to be lost in the corridors."

"Are you coming for breakfast?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, let's go. It's hard to remember the way through the castle at the beginning, but you'll learn." Harry said as they headed to the Great Hall.

"I hope so."

"So, what classes do you have today?"

"I have potions at eleven o'clock." Lia said.

"Snape, huh? Then you better be there on time." Harry said.

"He doesn't like being late?" Lia asked as they entered the Great Hall.

"I don't think that he likes anything other than to annoy me." Harry said as a matter-of-fact.

"Oh, so you're his favorite student." Lia smiled.

"Yeah, right."

They sat at the small table, which was located in the center of the Hall. Some of the teachers were there already having breakfast as well as Wolf and Virginia.

"Good morning." Lia said.

"Good morning Lia. How did you sleep?" Virginia asked.

"Fine I guess. I was so tired from the trip yesterday that I didn't feel how I slept."

"Can I have a word with you after breakfast, please?" Virginia asked.

"Yeah, sure." Lia replied, wondering what did Virginia want to talk about.

"Harry, do you know any place here where I can hunt?" Wolf asked in a low voice.

"Hunt? I don't think that hunting is allowed in Hogwarts. And the Forbidden Forest is a dangerous place to go. But we can ask Hagrid. He's the expert."

"Alright. Can we meet him after breakfast?"

"Yes, of course." Harry said as he helped himself with some bacon and eggs.

Wolf filled his plate with bacon and started to eat ravenously. Harry looked at him wondering about how could he eat so much and stay in a good form. With this amount of breakfast, he would soon become as huge as Hagrid.

"Mr. Wolf?"

"Just Wolf." Wolf said with a full mouth.

"Okay, Wolf. Er… I don't mean to insult or something, but… how could you eat all that? You're eating like a wolf!"

"I am a wolf in fact." Wolf said. "A half-wolf."

Harry's mouth dropped. "You are? Really?"

"Yes. And I'm not the only wolf in this place. I smelled one yesterday."

"You mean Remus. He's a werewolf." Harry said.

"I know. Werewolves have a different scent. And it doesn't seem that he has the instincts of a wolf."

"Well, he's a bitten werewolf."

"Ah, then that's the reason why he couldn't figure out that there was a wolf around. He needs some practice." Wolf said as he helped himself with another plate full of bacon.

"He hasn't been here yet, has he?" Harry asked.

"No. I didn't see him this morning."

"Well, full moon is after three days and maybe he's preparing for it."

"Cripes! How could I forget!" Wolf sounded worried. "Harry, we need to see Hagrid immediately. I need to know where I can spend the night of the full moon."

"Alright, let's go then." They both got up and went out.

Lia and Virginia finished their breakfast and walked out of the Great Hall.

"Listen, let's go to my room, we can be alone there, and no one will disturb." Lia said.

"Okay." Virginia replied and they went to Lia's room.

As they entered, Lia closed the door behind her and they sat on the armchairs in front of the fireplace.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Lia asked.

"It's about my dream. You see, I am so concerned about what's going to happen. And I really hope that you will be able to help." Virginia said.

"But I don't know what is going to happen, and who is causing this trouble. How can I help?"

"I don't know yet. Maybe we will know something in time. I just hope we wouldn't have to wait for long. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in here." Virginia paused for a moment. "I wanted to know, have you met any kind of an evil person lately?"

"The last time I met anyone was on the day that my mom and boyfriend died. After that I lived alone, and I spent my days looking for jobs. But every job I took lasted a week or so. And I never had friends or other relatives. I found out about Harry only last Thursday."

"Really? How come you didn't know about him?" Virginia asked.

"Mom kept me away from this world."

"But why?"

"They say that she wanted to keep her marriage with my father. No one knew where she was, but on that day…" Lia lowered her head and couldn't continue.

"It's okay, let's just… change the subject." Virginia said. "I know how you feel."

"You do?"

"Well, yeah. My mother is dead too. Except that… I killed her."

Lia just stared at Virginia. How could she kill her own mother? She wondered.

"She was evil. She was the successor of the evil witch and wanted to kill Wendell. She turned him into a dog so she could take over his kingdom, and then take the other eight kingdoms as well. But we were able to save Wendell from being killed and we returned him to his human form. And when my mother tried to kill me, I took a poisoned comb out of her hair and hit her. She was dead instantly. I couldn't forgive myself. Until now I feel guilty about that, but the evil witch was controlling her and she was free only when she died. She couldn't even remember me when she first saw me."

"That must've been a hard thing to do." Lia said, feeling stupid. She didn't know what else to say.

"It was. But Wolf and dad helped me through it. They are always by my side." Virginia said.

"It's wonderful to be loved isn't it?" Lia put her hand on her chest. Her scar felt warm.

"Yes. The best feeling a person can know. You know, when I first met Wolf, I was scared of him. I couldn't trust him. But he proved himself to be a loyal person and he loves me more than anything."

Lia smiled. She remembered being loved once. John was loyal to her. He loved her and he never caused her pain. But John's memory caused her heart to ache. She couldn't breath and her scar was burning.

"Lia, are you alright?" Virginia sounded worried.

"Get… Remus. Next door."

"Okay." Virginia ran out of the room and knocked the next door.

"It's opened." Remus said from inside.

Virginia opened the door and went in. "It's Lia. Something's wrong."

Remus ran out and entered Lia's room. She was sitting on the couch, her eyes closed and her hand on her chest.

"Lia, can you hear me?" Remus held her hand. Lia opened her tearful eyes and looked at him.

"I don't… know what happened… I can't… breath… and it… hurts." She said between gasps for air.

"Alright, now don't talk. And try to stay calm. I'll get professor Dumbledore right now." He turned to Virginia. "Miss Lewis, will you please stay with her?"

"Sure." Virginia said.

Remus went to his room and took out a box that contained floo powder out of the drawer of his desk. He took some powder and threw it in the fire. "Professor Dumbledore's office." He said and the flames turned green. He knelt and put his head through the fire.

"Professor Dumbledore? Are you there?" Remus called and Dumbledore came at once.

"What is it Remus?"

"It's Lia. She can't breath and her scar hurts."

"I'll be there at once." Dumbledore said.

Remus pulled out his head and ran back to Lia's room.

"How is she?" he asked.

"The same. Breathing hard." Virginia replied.

"I'll take her to her bed." Remus carried Lia and put her on her bed. He pulled the covers over her and sat beside her. "You'll be fine Lia. Professor Dumbledore is on his way."

"What… time… is it?" Lia asked.

"Ten o'clock. Why do you ask?"

"I have… potions… at eleven."

"Well, that's a start. Potions as a first class on the first day. What were they thinking?"

Professor Dumbledore entered the room with Madam Pomfrey following him.

"How is she now?" Dumbledore asked.

"Still breathing hard." Remus replied.

"Could you please leave us alone?" Madam Pomfrey said.

"Sure Poppy." Dumbledore replied and they all left the room leaving Madam Pomfrey and Lia alone.

"Professor, Lia has potions in about an hour. I don't think that she'll be able to attend." Remus said.

"You're right Remus. But let's wait for Poppy to finish first. If she says that Lia can't go to class, I'll tell Severus that she won't attend today." Dumbledore replied.

"What happened to her?" Virginia asked.

"Miss Lewis, may I ask you what were you talking about before she felt like this?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well, we talked about our mothers and then about being loved." Virginia felt guilty. She thought that she has caused pain to Lia.

"Now I understand. Well, I better go and tell Poppy how it started." Dumbledore said and went back to Lia's room.

"Was it because of me?" Virginia asked.

"Oh, no." Remus replied. "You see, every time Lia feels love, or even think about it her scar start to hurt and it effects her heart."

"Oh my God. Isn't there any way to help her?"

"Unfortunately, the only way I see is to keep her thinking about hate. I don't like that idea, but it seems that she can't handle the good feelings. Voldemort has ruined her life." Remus said.

"There has to be a way to change that." Virginia said.

At that moment professor Dumbledore got out of the room. "Remus, could you please help Poppy to take Lia to the hospital wing? She has to spend the day there. I'll go and see Severus."

"Alright Professor." Remus replied.

Remus went to Lia's room to help Madam Pomfrey to take Lia to the hospital wing. Virginia went with them and Dumbledore went to the dungeons to see Snape.

****

O o O o O

Harry and Wolf went to see Hagrid. When they reached the cottage, they heard voices coming from behind the cottage and Harry decided to go and see what was going on.

Hagrid was there with the two dogs and a magical creature.

"Buckbeak!" Harry called and ran forward.

"Harry! Careful!" Hagrid called.

For a moment Harry forgot that he was supposed to bow before approaching. And at Hagrid's call, he stopped and took a bow in front of Buckbeak, who bowed back immediately. Harry smiled and went closer to him.

"Hello Buckbeak, I missed you." He patted the beak and then gave him a hug. "Hagrid, how did he come here?"

"Guess he was left alone outside. Good thing he came 'ere." Hagrid said.

Wolf stood away frightened at the sight of the creature. "What's that?" he asked.

"A Hippogriff." Hagrid said. "Wonderful creatures. Want to get closer?"

"I don't know. Isn't he dangerous?"

"Yer have ter bow. An' if he bows back, yer can go closer."

Wolf took a few steps forward and bowed to Buckbeak. He looked into Wolf's eyes for a moment and tilted his head to a side as to examine the person standing in front of him.

"Don't move now. He is checking yer." Hagrid said.

Finally Buckbeak bowed to Wolf, who sighed in relief and went closer. "Nice hippo." Wolf said.

"Don't forget to be nice to him. And don't try to insult him." Harry said. "You won't like the consequences."

"Okay." Wolf said. "Are there many of them here? I've never seen on in our kingdoms."

"They can't be found anywhere else." Hagrid said.

"Hagrid, Wolf wanted to talk to you about something." Harry said.

"Let's go inside." Hagrid said.

The three went into the cottage and Hagrid started to prepare some tea.

"So, 'ow can I help?" Hagrid asked.

"Hagrid, you know that I'm a half-wolf." Wolf said. "And the full moon is in three days. I was wondering if there was a place where I can spend the night hunting?"

"Hunting? If yer thinkin' 'bout the Forbidden Forest, then I'd keep away from there. It's dangerous."

"Then where else can I go? I don't want to hurt someone."

"Maybe Lupin can help. He knows such things better than I do. What happens at full moon ter you?"

"My wolf instincts rise and I can't control myself from doing everything that a wolf does. That includes hunting. I don't want to stay at the castle that night, because I might hurt someone. The only one I can't hurt is Virginia."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Because she's my mate and she's carrying our cub."

"She's pregnant? But it doesn't show on her."

"That's because it's only been two weeks since she was pregnant." Wolf smiled.

"Oh." Harry nodded. "Well, at least someone is safe." He smiled.

"Yeah, I wouldn't like to think about hurting anyone. I won't forgive myself if I did so." Wolf said.

"Alright. You ask Lupin, and if he can't help, then I'll take yer ter the forest." Hagrid said.

"Thank you Hagrid." Wolf smiled and gave him a hug. "You're the best. Let's go and find Lupin, Harry." Wolf said and rushed out of the cottage.

"He's weird." Harry said.

"He's a half-wolf, they're supposed ter be weird." Hagrid said.

"Alright, I'll see you later Hagrid." Harry said and followed Wolf out of the cottage.

Harry led Wolf to Remus's room and for his surprise, Remus wasn't there.

"Where could he be?" Harry asked himself and suddenly he heard a small pop behind him. "Dobby!"

"Hello Harry Potter, Sir." Dobby said.

"How are you Dobby?"

"Dobby is fine Sir. But Miss Lia is not."

"What do you mean Dobby? What's wrong with her?" Harry asked.

"Miss Lia was hurt. Her scar hurts her."

"Where can we find her?" Wolf asked.

"Professor Dumbledore took Miss Lia to the hospital wing." Dobby said.

"I'm going there." Harry said and ran toward the hospital wing.

"I'm coming with you." Wolf said and turned to Dobby. "Thanks pal." The he ran after Harry.

Harry entered the hospital wing and searched the rooms. He found Lia surrounded by many people. He ignored them all and ran to her side.

"Lia, can you hear me?" he asked. But Lia didn't reply.

"Harry, she's asleep. Madam Pomfrey had given her a sleeping potion." Remus said.

Wolf came after a few moments panting. "This… boy… should… join… a racing… team. He's… fast!" he said between breaths.

"Wolf, you look awful!" Virginia said. "Sit down and try to keep your mouth shut so you can catch your breath."

Wolf nodded and sat on an empty bed.

"Professor, what will happen to her?" Harry turned to Dumbledore.

"I am not sure Harry. Voldemort has ruined her life. I am not sure how can we help her."

"If only there was a prophecy." Harry said.

"But there isn't. And if there was, Voldemort was going to do anything to get to it. He has marked her as well. But it seems that Emily's charm was stronger than anything else and no prophecy was written. I'm afraid Lia will have to find out about her destiny on her own."

Professor Snape entered the room. "Professor, how is she now?" he asked.

"She's sleeping Severus. I'm afraid she won't attend your class today at all. I was hoping that she could make it this afternoon, but Madam Pomfrey insisted that she stays here tonight."

"I understand professor." Snape replied. "I'll be in my office if you need me." He looked at Remus and nodded. Remus was supposed to go to Snape's office to get his wolfsbane potion.

"Alright Severus." Dumbledore said and Snape went to his office. Then Dumbledore turned to Remus. "Remus, will you please come to my office when you have some time?"

"Alright." Remus replied.

A few moments later Professor McGonagall came to the room. "I heard she was here. What happened?" she asked.

"It her heart. The scar is effecting on it badly." Remus said.

"Everyone out please. This young lady here needs to rest! And you are there whispering right into her ears!" Madam Pomfrey said.

Everyone got out of the room. Remus and Harry were the last to get out.

"I want to stay with her." Harry said.

"You won't help her with anything. She's deeply in sleep." Remus said. "Come on, let's go."

Harry walked with him silently. Wolf was waiting for them outside.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Harry said when he saw Wolf. "Remus, Wolf wanted to ask you about the full moon."

"Oh really?" Remus raise an eyebrow. He didn't know that Wolf was actually a half-wolf.

"Yes." Wolf said and stepped closer. "I was wondering if you knew a place where I can spend the full moon night. I don't want to spend it here."

"Are you a werewolf?" Remus asked.

"A half-wolf. I have a wolf's instincts and a tail." Wolf said.

"You have a tail?!" Harry was surprised. "But how come I can't see it?"

"Because I'm hiding it. I think that people wouldn't like seeing a human with a tail wandering around, now would they?" Wolf said.

"Well, I guess not." Harry replied, turning pink.

"So, Mr. Lupin, can you help me?" Wolf said.

"Yes." Remus said. "Yes of course. Let's go to my office."

They walked through the long corridors and Harry decided to go to his dormitory. Wolf and Remus continued their way to the office. As they entered the office, Remus locked the door after him.

"Now. A place out of Hogwarts, right?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, I need to hunt." Wolf said.

"Well, you can't hunt around here. There aren't many animals that would be hunted. And I have a better solution. Snape prepares a potion for me to drink. How about using it? It will ease the transformation pain, and you can keep your head clear and control yourself."

"And would it be safe to stay in the school?"

"I don't think that extra caution is bad. I have a place where I go on these nights. If you want, I can show you the way. But, it's dangerous. You'll have to watch out for your head. I'm going there tonight for a short visit. Do you want to come?" Remus asked.

"Yes of course! I wouldn't want to hurt anyone here." Wolf said.

"Good, that's the spirit. Alright then, I'll meet you tonight at eleven near the Entrance Hall."

"Okay. Thank you so much!" Wolf said and shook Remus's hand. "You saved my bacon! I'll go and tell Virginia that everything is going to be fine."

"Alright, I'll meet you tonight." Remus said with a smile.

Wolf left the room and went to his dormitory, where he planned to order some food.

Remus headed to Dumbledore's office. He passed the stone gargoyle and knocked the door before entering.

"You needed to see me Professor?" Remus asked as he closed the door behind him.

"Yes Remus. Have a seat please." Dumbledore pointed to a chair in front of his desk.

Remus sat down and waited to the headmaster to speak.

"I heard that you are going to the Shrieking Shack tonight." Dumbledore asked.

"I am." Remus said.

"You will meet someone there. And I want you to keep it a secret."

"You're hiding someone at the Shrieking Shack Professor?" Remus asked. Dumbledore had never hidden anyone there before.

"Yes. I need you to take care of him and keep his secret. No one should know about him until the time comes."

"Alright professor. You can count on me."

"Thank you Remus. Now, about the full moon, did you talk to Wolf about it? I don't think that he knows this place, and I don't want him to cause panic around the school."

"I'll give him some wolfsbane, and I'll take him with me." Remus said.

"Will he be fine with you? Don't get me wrong Remus, but he doesn't transform into a wolf completely."

"He says that his wolf instincts rise, so that means that he would act like a wolf. So, I don't think that I'll harm him. Besides, we both are going to take wolfsbane."

"Alright, just be careful please."

"I will Professor. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and see Severus."

"Yes, yes. Thank you for coming Remus."

Remus smiled and left the office. He headed to the dungeons to Snape's office. Snape gave him two bottles of wolfsbane and he took them with him to his room. He wondered about the person whom Dumbledore was hiding in the Shrieking Shack. Who was this guy? And what kind of a secret did he have? Remus was also concerned about Lia's health. It was the second time that she passed out because of her scar and this didn't mean good. Remus hoped that someday, someone would be able to help her to get rid of that feeling. Although, he knew that it was impossible as long as Voldemort was still alive.

****

O o O o O

Harry sat alone in the common room of the Gryffindor dormitory. He wanted to stay with Lia. She wasn't feeling good and he didn't want to leave her alone. What if Voldemort decided to pay her a visit? What if he sent a Death Eater? He had to be at the hospital wing. Harry went to his room and opened his trunk. He took out his invisibility cloak and went to back to the common room. He put the cloak on and went out.

The corridors were empty. Thankfully, there were no students around, and Filch was no where to be seen. Maybe he was on a vacation, too? Harry thought. He continued his way to the hospital wing and reached the room where Lia was. He opened the door slowly and entered, trying not to make any noises. He closed the door and headed to Lia's bed. She seemed to be asleep. He sat on a chair near the bed without taking the invisibility cloak off. What if Madam Pomfrey came in and saw him? It was better to stay invisible.

He looked at Lia for a while and held her hand, until he realized that his eyes were closing. He tried to stay awake, but couldn't manage. He was fast asleep.

__

Someone was crying. Harry saw himself in a place where he didn't recognize. There was a man lying on the ground and a girl kneeling beside him was crying. He knew who the dead man was, but in the same time he didn't recognize him. Though, his face seemed familiar. "Traitor." Harry heard himself saying. He looked at the girl and smiled. He held his wand high and prepared to strike. Then another woman came into view. She looked familiar.

"Expelliarmus!" the woman called and the wand flew out of Harry's hand into the air. While he jumped to catch his wand the woman turned to her daughter.

"Lia, go to the back yard. Get out of the house, now!"

"But mom… What about John? And you?" the girls said between sobs.

"I said go! I'll meet you later. Just go out, honey, now!" the woman said and the girl got up and ran to the door heading to the kitchen.

Harry reached for his wand and aimed it at the woman. "Crucio!" he said.

The woman fell on the ground, curled and wincing in pain. She managed to get up and shouted, "Protego!" a golden shield formed in front of her and her pain faded.

"Well, well. You seem to be learning, Emily. Too bad that you ran away with the mud-blood husband of yours." Harry heard himself saying as he walked to her. The woman was obviously still in pain, but not as strong as during the Cruciatus curse. "If you have accepted my offer seventeen years ago, non of this would've happened. You were supposed to become a queen. You would've ruled the world. But no. Instead, you chose a mud-blood for a husband. You are about to pay for it Emily. I never forget and that's why I never forgive." He aimed his wand at her again, "Crucio!"

"Tom! S-stop it!" Emily cried in pain.

Harry laughed. "Stop? No Emily, you deserve this!"

"Expelliarm… AAARGH!" Emily couldn't continue. The pain was unbearable.

He saw the girl turning back and watching them duel. He turned to her and aimed his wand at her. "Avada Kedavra!" he shouted and a green light flashed out of his wand and headed toward the girl.

Before he could notice, Emily jumped between them and threw herself over her daughter. They both fell on the ground, motionless.

Harry could feel his heart burn, his hands were trembling, and his whole body was in pain. "You'll pay for this!" he hissed while the pain reached his head. He felt himself falling through a tunnel where it was all black and nothing could be seen.

Harry woke up gasping for air. He looked at the windows and saw that it was still dark outside. Maybe it was only a couple of hours past midnight, he thought.

He was sweating and his scar was stinging. He noticed that he was in the hospital wing, sitting near Lia's bed. She was sweating too, but she didn't wake up. The look on her face told him that she was in pain.

He had just witnessed the murder of his aunt and Lia's boyfriend. He was the one to kill them both. No, he was seeing this through Voldemort's eyes. It was happening again, he was having the same kind of dreams. Last time, he witnessed the attack on Mr. Weasley through the eyes of a snake, and the second time he witnessed Sirius's torture, although that turned out to be a lie and at the end, it cost him Sirius's life.

Harry thought that he should tell Dumbledore about what he saw, but then, he remembered the occlumency classes with Snape. Dumbledore would tell him to restart those classes, and he didn't want to go through it again.

Harry didn't know what to do. He just sat there in his invisibility cloak and thought about finding someone he could trust his dream. If only Sirius was still alive, Harry would've written him about everything, but Sirius was dead. If he told Hagrid, he would tell him not to leave the castle without company. That left only one person: Remus Lupin. After all, he was Sirius's and his father's best friend. He could trust him.

He got up and picked up a towel from the little table beside the bed and wiped Lia's forehead. He pulled the bed cover over her and then, he lay back on his chair and closed his eyes. He would tell Remus about the dream in the morning.


	9. The Shrieking Shack

****

Chapter nine - The Shrieking Shack

Wolf was ready to meet Remus at the Entrance Hall. He told Virginia that he was going out and she wanted to come. But Wolf thought that it was better to keep the place a secret from Virginia, as she might decide to pay him a visit during full moon night, and no one knows what would happen then. He managed to convince her not to come, and after some protests from Virginia, Wolf kissed her and left. He headed to the Entrance Hall and saw Remus waiting for him.

"Am I late?" Wolf asked.

"Only five minutes. What happened?"

"Virginia wanted to come. I had to convince her to change her mind."

"Did you tell her where we were going?"

"Of course not! I don't want her to show up there. She might get hurt you know."

"You're right. Okay, let's go now." Remus said and they walked out of the castle.

The moon was shining in the clear sky. It was almost full. Three more days and their suffering will begin. Although it lasted only one night, but both Remus and Wolf felt that it lasted a lifetime. They walked through the castle grounds until they reached the Whomping Willow.

"Stay back, or you might lose your head." Remus said. He knelt down and walked to the bottom of the tree on four. The tree started waving its branches in all directions. Wolf took a few more steps back. He now understood why had Remus told him to stay back. That tree was mad! Remus reached the spot that made the tree stop and stood up.

"Come on." He told Wolf, who followed him through the hole at the bottom of the tree.

"What is this place?" Wolf asked, as they walked through the small corridor.

"This is a secret passage that me and my friends have found when we were still students. It heads to Hogsmeade's most feared place. The Shrieking Shack."

Wolf felt goose bumps rise on his skin at the mention of the name. "Is it spooky as its name?" he asked.

"Not really. It's just an abandoned house. Professor Dumbledore kept me here during my cycles, and the people of Hogsmeade heard my howls and screams once in a month and they thought that there were ghosts living there."

"That's better to know." Wolf said.

They reached the staircase that took them inside of the abandoned house. It was messy and dusty. Cobwebs hanging everywhere, like every time one of the Marauders came to this place. It had never been cleaned.

Remus noticed strange footmarks on the dusty ground mixed with paw marks. Wolf sniffed the air and looked around, his eyes flashed yellow.

"Wolf, your eyes are yellow!" Remus said.

"Some is in here. I can smell him."

"No one comes here except for me and my friends who are now dead." Remus paused for a moment. "But wait. One of them is still alive." He looked at the paw prints but they didn't look like they belonged to a rat. They were bigger. "And Dumbledore told me that I was going to meet someone here. He didn't tell me that he was an animagus or if he had a pet."

Wolf kept sniffing the air and then looked at the stairs. "He's upstairs and he doesn't smell good."

"Let's go." Remus said and took out his wand. They climbed the stairs and Remus saw the footprints heading to a room on the far end of the dusty corridor. The moonlight made it possible for him to see through the dark corridors. They walked slowly until they reached the room. The door was slightly opened, but it was dark inside.

Remus pushed the door open and walked in. He muttered "Lumos!" and a light flashed out of the tip of his wand. Wolf growled at the sight of a strange man. But Remus stood there staring at him like he has seen a ghost. Or no, he was used to see ghosts; they were all around Hogwarts. He felt like he was hit by a stunning spell. The man stood up from his chair and smiled at him.

"This can't be true." Remus said.

"Hello Moony."

Remus couldn't believe his eyes, and couldn't believe that he has just heard the same voice. Wolf kept staring at them both, with his concentration at the stranger.

"Who are you?" Remus asked after some effort to collect himself.

"What is it Moony? Your memory has been modified or what?" the man asked, his smile turning into a concerned look.

"I asked who are you? And how dare you use the polyjuice potion to turn into my friend?!" Remus raised his wand and prepared to strike.

"Wait! Remus it's really me, Sirius!"

"LIAR!" Remus pointed his wand at him and shouted: "Stupefy!"

But Sirius was faster and he ducked away to make the red flash miss him by an inch.

"What should I do to prove it to you!" Sirius said, his voice rising.

"Sirius is dead! And you are filthy enough to claim yourself as him!" Remus raised his wand again, and before he could say his next spell, Sirius shouted:

"Accio wand!" his wand flew to him and he pointed it at Remus. "Don't make me do it Moony."

"Locomotor mortis!" Remus said.

"Protego!" Sirius replied and a shield appeared in front of him. He pointed his wand at Remus. "Petrificus totalus!"

Remus' body went rigid. He fell on the ground. Wolf stared at him and then turned to Sirius with his eyes flashing in yellow, out of anger.

"You killed him!" He growled at Sirius and jumped at him, knocking him down. Sirius struggled to get out of Wolf's tight grip on his throat.

"I… didn't… kill… him!" he said.

"I'll rip your throat out!" Wolf said, with anger rising in him.

Sirius pointed his wand at Wolf from the side and muttered: "Stupefy!"

Wolf fell to a side, stunned. Sirius got up and walked toward Remus who was lying on the floor his eyes wide opened and staring at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry Moony, I had to jinx you so you would listen." He said and knelt next to Remus. "I know that you think I'm dead. A woman… Well, Snow White came to the Department of Mysteries and brought me back to life. She said only you and Dumbledore would know about me coming back to life." He saw tears coming out of Remus' eyes. Sirius smiled. His friend finally believed him. He stood up and waved his wand at Remus. "Finite incantatem!"

Remus got up and stared at Sirius for a moment. He still couldn't believe his eyes. He was standing there face to face with his best friend who has died a couple of weeks ago.

"Remus, it's really me, you know? Who else would call you Moony?" Sirius said.

Remus thought for a moment. No one except for his closest friends knew their nicknames. Tears flowed down his cheeks and a wide smile formed on his face.

"Padfoot!" he said and they embraced. "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you to mate. It's really great to be back." Sirius replied, tears forming in his eyes. But he fought them back.

Remus pulled back and looked at the stunned Wolf. "And what did you do to him?"

"Stunned him, that's all." Sirius said. "He started it. Who is he anyway?"

"A new friend. Will you please remove the spell from him now?"

"Okay." Sirius pointed his wand at Wolf. "Ennervate!"

Wolf shook his head and got up. "Cripes. What happened?" he looked around and saw Remus standing next to the stranger.

"Remus! You're alive!!" he said and jumped at Remus to give him a hug.

"Of course I'm alive Wolf. Sirius would never kill me." Remus said.

"Sirius?" Wolf asked. "Do you mean him?" he pointed his hand at Sirius.

"Yes. Wolf; let me introduce you to Sirius. My best friend." Remus said and turned to Sirius. "Padfoot, this is Wolf. He's from the Fourth Kingdom."

Sirius raised an eyebrow "The Fourth Kingdom? Oh yes! Snow White told me a little about it. It's that fairy tale place, isn't it?"

"The very same one." Remus replied.

"Actually, I was born in the Second Kingdom, but now I spend my time between the Fourth and the Tenth Kingdoms." Wolf said.

"Second? Wasn't that Little Red Riding Hood's kingdom?" Sirius asked.

"Yes. Her grand-daughter, Queen Red Riding Hood III is the ruler now."

"But I never heard about the Tenth Kingdom. Is it a new one?" Remus asked.

"Yeah. Virginia comes from there. She calls it New York." Wolf said.

"That's not a kingdom!" Sirius said in sarcasm. "That's in the United States!"

"She told me about that name, but in the nine kingdoms, New York is known as the Tenth Kingdom. We go there through the Travelling Mirror."

"And how did you get here?" Remus asked.

"Through the Mirror of Magic." Wolf replied.

"Don't tell me you use mirrors to go everywhere." Sirius said.

"Not exactly. But we use mirrors quite a lot. Just like you use wands."

"Moony! Do you know that Emi has a daughter?" Sirius said excitedly. "Snow White said that she's twenty five and she's coming here!"

"She's already at school Sirius. I brought her here." Remus said with a smile.

"How does she look like?"

"Just like her mother."

"Was she the girl with you and Harry at Hogsmeade?"

"You were out?"

"Yes, in my dog form. Now tell me, was that her?"

"Yeah, it was her."

"Blimey. She's quite a hottie."

"Sirius! How can you talk about Emi's daughter that way!" Remus said.

"I didn't say anything wrong. She is beautiful you know."

"Just stay away from her. And don't you dare think about doing something stupid!"

"Me? Doing something stupid? Since when?" They laughed at each other and Sirius patted Remus' shoulder. "I just hope that my name will be cleared soon, so I would be able to meet her."

"Yeah, I hope that too." Remus said.

Suddenly, Sirius noticed that they were standing all this time without realizing it. The only source of light in the room was the moonlight, which came inside through the door, where the window was right in front of it in the corridor.

"Hey, why don't we sit? I just realized that we were standing all this time. And we need some light." He waved his hands in the air and small candle's appeared all around the room. They could see each other's faces more clearly now. Remus noticed the tired look on Sirius' face. He has suffered too much during the time he spent behind the veil at the Death Room. It must've been worse than spending twelve years in Azkaban.

"Was that storm at the Ministry a couple days ago caused by you?" Remus asked.

"It was Snow White. She needed to cause confusion so she would bring me back." Sirius said.

"She's such a noble person." Wolf said. "She helped us save the kingdoms by giving advice to Virginia."

"She was nice. But as secretive as Dumbledore." Sirius said. "She said that I have a hard task ahead, but didn't even give me a clue about what was going to happen."

"The Kingdoms are in danger. And only Lia will be able to help." Wolf said. "That's why we're here."

"We?" Sirius asked.

"Me, Virginia, her father and Wendell." Wolf replied.

"Oh I see. And why did you two come to this place tonight?"

"It's full moon in three days and Wolf is actually a half-wolf." Remus said. "He has his own transformation on a full moon night."

"You turn into a wolf?" Sirius asked.

"Only by instincts. They get sharper, and I act like a wolf, but I don't transform completely into one." Wolf said.

"He also has a tail." Remus said.

"A tail?" Sirius was amazed. "Can you show us?"

Wolf blushed for a moment. He wasn't used to take out his tail in front of people. The only human who saw his tail was Virginia, when they were escaping from the trolls in the Third Kingdom. It was out of his pants by accident and Virginia noticed it. He allowed her to touch it, and she stroke it by the wrong way. Wolf told her that she should stroke it with the fur and not against it. On the second try she did it correctly, which made Wolf sigh in relief. He got up and pulled his tail out of his pants.

"Ahh! This feels much better." He stretched his tail and waved it to the sides.

"Blimey!" Sirius said.

"Why don't you keep it out, instead of hiding it?" Remus asked.

"People don't like wolves." Wolf replied, and Remus remembered that he wasn't a welcomed person between normal humans, too.

"Yes, I know what you mean." Remus said.

"So, Moony, how come we never knew that Emi had a daughter?" Sirius asked.

"She had charms put all around her house and Lia." Remus said.

"And how did you find out about her?"

"McGonagall's magical auto-quill."

"Oh, I see." Sirius said.

Remus told him all about what happened since the first day that he met Lia until this evening's events. Sirius was shocked.

"Voldemort really loves to leave scars on people who would survive his curse." Sirius said. "And how is Harry doing?"

"He's fine I guess. But he can't get over the fact that you're dead. He still says that it was all his fault." Remus said.

"Is he stupid or what? It wasn't his fault that Voldemort played with his brain! Tell him that it's not his fault Remus."

"That's what we all are telling him. But he never listens."

"Just like his father. Prongs never listened to anyone but himself either."

"Yeah, but he listened to you. Didn't he?" Remus said.

"Well, that was different." Sirius said. "Besides, did he notice me at Hogsmeade? I saw him looking at me for a moment and I had to hide."

"So that was you, huh?" Remus said. "Promise that you won't do such thing again."

"I won't promise something that I know I can't do." Sirius replied.

"Okay, just remember not to show yourself to anyone, alright?"

"Piece of cake." Sirius grinned.

Wolf and Remus spent the night with Sirius at the Shrieking Shack. Remus was telling Sirius about Harry and Lia, and Wolf listened carefully, joining the conversation from time to time to ask questions about the two-who-lived. Sirius on his turn, told them about the fight with Bellatrix and the veil where he spent two weeks with other dead people. But to his amazement, he hadn't met Lily or James there. They were supposed to be there if they were dead, but then, he thought that maybe only people who weren't suppose to die at a certain time were the ones who ended up there behind the veil.

All he wanted now was for his name to be cleared, so he would be able to go out freely and see Harry and Lia. Nothing would compare to have both of his best friends' children with him. He was so excited that he didn't notice how Wolf fell into sleep and Remus' eyes were closing automatically.


	10. Potions

**Chapter ten - Potions**

Lia felt a slight headache when she woke up in the morning. She looked around and realized that she was in some kind of a hospital room. She felt her hand being held by someone, but when she turned to see who it was she didn't see anyone there. She quickly pulled her hand and sat up, which made Harry wake up too.

"Morning Lia." He said with a sleepy voice.

"Who's there?" Lia asked, confused by the source of the voice. She recognized it as Harry's voice, but he wasn't there.

"Blimey! You can't see? I'll get Madam Pomfrey. Just… just don't get up, okay?"

"Harry, is this you? I can hear you but I can't see you! Where are you talking from?"

Harry was near the door when he realized that he still had his invisibility cloak on. He took it off and turned to Lia. "Can you see me now?" he asked.

"How did you do that? You weren't here a moment ago!"

Harry smiled. "I was wearing my dad's invisibility cloak, and I forgot that I slept while I was still wearing it." he walked back to his chair, which was near Lia's bed.

"Invisibility cloak? Why do you need that for?" Lia asked.

"To sneak out in the night." Harry said.

"So you like to do some mess during the night, don't you?" she smiled.

"Not really, I usually use it when I need to go somewhere forbidden. Last night I decided to spend the night here with you, so I used it."

"How sweet of you." Lia said. "Listen, I have this slight headache that won't leave me. Can you ask the nurse to bring me pills or something?"

"They don't use pills here, but I'll ask Madam Pomfrey to bring you a pain relieving potion."

"Whatever it is, it has to work."

"Alright, I'll call her now."

Harry left the room and went to see Madam Pomfrey who was in her office checking some medical records. Harry knocked the door and entered.

"Good morning Madam Pomfrey." He said.

"Good morning Harry. Are you here to see your cousin? She must be still asleep." Madam Pomfrey replied.

"Actually I was there a moment ago. She said that she has a headache, do you have any potion for that?" Harry said quickly.

"How come I didn't hear you coming?"

"I tried my best not to make a noise." Harry said with a smile. And his trick worked.

"How nice of you." She took out a small bottle from her drawer and gave it to Harry. "Here, let her drink it. It will take away the pain. I'll come to see her in a few moment."

"Thank you." Harry took the bottle and went back to Lia's room.

"So? Did you get it?" Lia asked.

"Yeah. Here, drink this." Harry said and gave her the bottle.

Lia drank the potion and felt better right away. Her headache was gone.

"What happened yesterday? How did I end up here?" she asked.

"You can't remember?"

"I only remember that I was speaking to Virginia, and my heart started to hurt. Then I remember Remus being there. That's all."

"Well, you lost your consciousness and we brought you here." Harry said.

"So I was that bad, huh?"

"Yes." Harry replied, then he remembered the dream he saw last night. "Lia, I want to ask you something."

"Sure, ask."

"Last night I saw a strange dream. It was in a place that I couldn't recognize. You were there, your mother and a guy."

Lia's smile faded. He has seen her mother and John, but how could he be so sure that it was them? She never told him how they looked like. The far corner of the room started to seem so interesting for Lia and she was staring at that direction.

"Listen, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Harry said. "I'm sorry, okay? Just forget it."

Lia turned to face him. "Tell me what you saw." She said.

At that moment, Madam Pomfrey came inside with a big smile on her face.

"Well, well. You look better today." She said.

"Thanks." Lia replied with a smile.

"Do you feel any pain in your chest dear?"

"No."

"That's good to hear. How about your scar, does it hurt?"

"No."

"Can you breathe properly?"

"Yes."  
"Good. That's what I wanted to hear. You may get dressed and go to breakfast in about an hour." Madam Pomfrey said.

"Really? Thank you." Lia said happily.

"Alright, I'll leave you two to talk. I have some work to do." Madam Pomfrey said and left the room.

"So, what did you see Harry?" Lia asked him again.

"Well, I was in this house and you were crying over that guy. Then your mother came and fought with… another man," he didn't tell her that she dueled with him. "And they she told you to go out. But you didn't. The man was about to attack you when your mom jumped in between you and… the man. The spell hit her and you both fell to the ground. And then, I woke up."

Lia was crying now, her face in her hands. She has seen the same dream that night. She saw that night when her mother and boyfriend died in front of her.

"Lia, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." He put his hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her.

"It's not your fault Harry. I saw the same dream too. And that's how it happened." Lia said and wiped her tears. "You see now why I don't want to remember it?"

"Yes." Harry said and looked at the ground. "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay. That's in the past now." Lia managed to smile.

"Was that your boyfriend?" Harry asked.

"Yes."

"What's his name?"

"John. But why do you ask?"

"He looked familiar. That's all." Harry said. "I think it's time for us to go to the Great Hall. I'll wait for you outside while you change your clothes."

"Okay."

Harry left the room and closed the door behind him. He waited in front of the door until Lia got dressed. She walked out of the room and they both headed to the Great Hall for breakfast.

On their way they saw Remus and Wolf walking in the corridor, also heading to the Great Hall.

"Remus!" Harry called.

Remus turned to see Harry and Lia following him and Wolf.

"Good morning!" Harry said.

"Good morning Harry. Lia, how do you feel today?" Remus asked.

"I'm much better, thank you."

"We were going to have some breakfast. Care to join?" Remus asked.

"We were on our way to the Great Hall too." Harry replied.

"Then what're we waiting for? I'm ravenous!" Wolf said and they all laughed.

They entered the Hall and saw only Professor Snape sitting there alone drinking coffee and reading the Daily Prophet.

"Morning Severus." Remus said.

Snape turned to see them walking to the table. "Good morning." He said coldly and continued to read his newspaper.

"Bad mod, huh?" Lia whispered to Harry.

"Tell me about it." he shrugged. "He's even worse during class." He whispered back.

They sat near the table and started to eat. Wolf's plate was full with bacon. He ate ravenously, which made Snape look at him in disgust. But Wolf didn't care. He kept filling his stomach, as there was no one there but him.

Lia didn't feel hungry, so she poured herself some coffee and drank it.

"You should eat you know." Harry said.

"I'm not hungry."

"Try to eat something Lia." Remus said.

"I'm not hungry, honestly."

"If you say so." Harry said and helped himself with some bread.

"I want to see Rex." Lia said.

"Okay. We'll visit Hagrid after breakfast."

"Don't be so sure Potter." Snape said without looking at them. He was still reading his newspaper. Lia and Harry looked at him. "Miss Jones has missed her potions class yesterday if you remember."

Harry looked at Remus and mouthed "help", but Remus shrugged.

"So, I have potions today as well?" Lia asked.

"Yes Miss Jones. Right after breakfast." Snape replied.

"Alright then. Breakfast hasn't finished yet, and I need to see my dog." Lia said and stood up. "Harry, are you coming?"

"Er… okay." He took a bite of his bacon sandwich and followed Lia out. Snape didn't even turn to look at them.

When they were out Harry stared at Lia with a smile on his face.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing." He kept staring.

"Liar. Why are you staring at me?"

"That was great!" he said.

"What? Oh you mean leaving the Hall?"

"Exactly. I bet that Snape will make your potion classes like hell."

"Don't be so sure. I'll make his classes like hell. Does he think I'm eleven years old? He's such a…" Lia paused. She was trying to teach herself to shut her mouth when it was necessary.

"What?"

"Never mind."

They reached Hagrid's hut and before Harry could knock the door, he heard barking. Rex came running to them from the back of the cottage and threw himself on Lia.

"Hi sweetie!" Lia said and took him in his arms. Rex was waving his tail excitedly and licking her face. "I missed you too!" Lia said.

"Mornin' Harry!" Hagrid said as he came from the backside of the cottage.

"Good morning Hagrid." Harry replied.

"Hello Mr. Hagrid." Lia said while trying to get Rex away from her face.

"''Ello, Lia.  'ow're yeh feelin' t'day?"

"I'm fine, thank you. Rex that's enough. Good boy, now go and play." She said and the dog left her immediately.

"Yeh wanna cuppa tea?" Hagrid asked.

"Yes, please. Snape didn't let us have our breakfast. And I asked Harry to come with me, because I still haven't learned the way in and out. So, Snape spoiled my breakfast and I spoiled Harry's." Lia said.

"No you didn't. You saved me from seeing Snape. And I thank you for that." Harry said.

"A'righ', yeh two.  Le's get inside." Hagrid said and they all went inside the cottage. He put the kettle on the fire and brought three huge mugs.

"So, yeh like the school, Lia?" Hagrid asked as he poured tea into the mugs.

"Yeah. It's a nice place. I think it would look better once terms start. The corridors must be filled with kids at that time."

"Yeah, they're a righ' mess.  Runnin' 'long the corridors an' no' missin' any chance ter jinx each other when there're no teachers 'roun'." Hagrid replied.

Lia drank her tea and looked at her watch. "Oh, I better get going. I don't want to be late for potions."

"Yeh go' Snape on yer firs' day?" Hagrid asked.

"Yeah. It's okay, I can handle him. Don't worry." Lia said with a smile.

"I hope so." Hagrid said.

Lia and Harry went back to the castle and headed to Lia's room. She took her bag and they went to the dungeons where the potions classroom was located. The knocked the door and entered. Snape was sitting in front of his desk writing something on a parchment. When they entered, he turned to them.

"I see that you're in time Miss Jones. That's a good start." He said with his cold voice. "Mr. Potter, may I ask you what are you doing here?"

"I showed Lia the way."

"Then you may go now."

Harry looked at Lia and mouthed "good luck". Then he left the classroom leaving Lia and Snape all alone.

"Have a seat Miss Jones." Professor Snape said. But this time his voice wasn't as cold as it was. Lia sat on one of the desks on the first row.

"You will need to take some notes, unless you have great memory." He told her, but Lia didn't answer. She took out her quill and parchments out of her bag and prepared to write.

"That's better." Snape said. "Miss Jones, do you know what are potions?"

"I'm here to find out, aren't I?" Lia replied.

"No one can tell Miss Jones. Most of the students say the same, but they never find out." Snape replied.

"Well, I hope that I'm not one of them." Lia sighed.

"Alright, potions are special liquids which are made from different kinds of ingredients and each potion is prepared and brewed individually."

Lia took notes while Snape was explaining the importance of potions. The lesson didn't seem boring as Harry has told her. Instead, she enjoyed it.

After two hours of non-stop potions Lia got up. "Can I leave now?" she asked.

"Yes Miss Jones. Your homework will be a foot long essay about the importance of potions. You are dismissed."

Lia gathered her stuff and left the classroom. When she reached the stairs she saw Harry standing there waiting for her.

"So, how did it go?" asked Harry as they climbed the stairs, heading to Lia's next class, history of magic.

"Not bad."

"Don't tell me you enjoyed it!"

"As a matter of fact, I did." Lia said with a smile. "That man has a talent!"

"Oh come on! He's so annoying!"

"At least he didn't show it. So, were you waiting out here all the time?"

"Yes."

"Really? Wow! That's so nice of you Harry."

"You can't find your way through this place yet, you'll get lost easily."

"That's true. I have History of Magic next, who's teaching it?" Lia asked.

"Professor Binns. He's a ghost."

"A ghost? Are you serious?"

"Of course I am! I've been studying here for five years now. And believe me, he's not the only ghost that you'll meet."

"Is he… umm… scary?"

"No, well, if you take out the fact that he's a teacher, as they all seem scary to students. Otherwise, he's fine."

They reached the classroom and Harry led Lia in. Professor Binns wasn't there. Lia sat near a desk on the front row and Harry sat next to her. After a few moments Professor Binns came through the blackboard, which made Lia gasp in horror.

"You'll get used to this." Harry whispered to her.

"Ah! Mr. Potter, I see that you're also here. Spending your vacation at Hogwarts I suppose?" professor Binns said.

"Yes Professor. I'm accompanying my cousin." Harry replied.

"Miss Jones," Professor Binns said as he turned to her. "Allow me to welcome you to Hogwarts. I'll be teaching you History of Magic."

"Nice to meet you Professor." Lia said.

"Alright, how about starting our lesson. Mr. Potter, do you care to join?"

"I think I better go to my dormitory. I'll be back to take Lia to the Great Hall after the class is finished." Harry said as he got up.

"As you wish Mr. Potter."

"See ya." Lia whispered to Harry who smiled to her and left the classroom.

Harry went to his dormitory; he had two hours until Lia's History of Magic class was finished.


	11. The First Victim

****

Chapter eleven - The first victim

"YOU LEFT ME ALONE WITH A GHOST!" Lia screamed at Harry as she met him near the Great Hall.

"I'm… sorry. I didn't know you're scared of them." Harry replied, a bit shocked of her behavior.

"I can't believe this place! A ghost as a teacher!" Lia put a hand on her forehead. "I'll get crazy before I learn anything!"

"Hey, calm down. I felt the same on the first day I came here."

"Listen, I'm sorry I yelled at you." Lia said, "But you shouldn't have left!"

"It's okay. I know how you feel. But you'll get used to it." Harry said with a smile.

"I don't think so."

"Alright, let's get in for lunch. I'm starving."

"Me too. That ghost scared the hell out of me!" said Lia.

They entered the Great Hall and sat near the table where Professors Sprout and McGonagall were having a conversation.

A moment later, Virginia and Wendell came in with Tony following them along with Professor Dumbledore.

"Hi Lia." Virginia said and sat next to her.

"Hi Virginia. How are you?"

"I should ask you about that. I'm fine. How are you? I hope that you're feeling better now."

"I'm fine. Had two lessons today."

"Oh, how… interesting." Virginia said.

"Yeah, interesting indeed. I had a lesson with a ghost teacher!" Lia said as she filled her plate with smashed potato.

"A ghost? Teaching?" Virginia asked.

"Yep."

"This place is more weird than the kingdoms."

"I don't know. I've never been to your world. In fact, I've never been out of my house for a long time now."

"You have to visit us sometime. As soon as we solve this unknown problem, you're welcome to visit us at the Fourth Kingdom." Virginia said with a smile.

"Thank you. I'd love to come." Lia replied.

Wolf and Remus entered the Great Hall and each of them sat neat the table. Wolf looked pale, he took a seat next to Virginia and Remus sat next to Harry.

"Where have you been Wolf?" Virginia asked.

"Remus was showing me the castle." Wolf lied.

"Oh really? That's nice of him." Virginia said with an obvious sarcasm in her voice. She knew that it had something to do with the full moon on the next day.

"Well, not exactly." Wolf said, apologetically. "We are trying to find a good place for the full moon. It's tomorrow."

"I thought so." Virginia said.

"Now don't push it." Wolf said, but then he realized that he shouldn't have spoke like that. "I'm sorry my little lamb chop. You know how nervous I get at this time of the month."

"I know." Virginia said and continued with her lunch.

Lia finished her lunch quickly and got up. "Excuse me everyone, I need to check on Rex."

"Want me to come?" Harry asked.

"Oh, no. Continue your lunch Harry. I'll find my way." Lia said and left the hall.

She walked through the corridors and went up and down the stairs. She didn't want to see Rex at that moment. She just needed to be alone for a while, but didn't know how to tell Harry. He was with her all the time showing her the way to where she wanted to go.

She stopped in front of a door that made her feel strange. Curiosity rose in her and she opened the door and entered. The room was huge and empty. The windows were dusty and reaching the ceiling. There was a mirror in the center of the room. Lia walked to it and noticed a carving around its frame.

"_Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi._" Lia read. "Hmm… That's weird. Wonder what it means?"

She stood in front of the mirror and looked at it. Her heart sank at the scene in front of her. She was standing there, holding a baby in her arms. John, her boyfriend, was standing next to her, his arm around her waist and smiling.

Lia felt tears rolling on her cheeks. This was what she always dreamed about when John was alive. She wanted to have a family with him, but that never happened. She sat on the floor in front of the mirror and kept staring. She felt a sting in her heart, but she didn't give it attention. She kept looking at her lover, who died while trying to defend her. His shoulder length dark hair covering his face every time he wanted to tell her that he loved her. She loved the shy look on his face every time he did so. Lia sighed. If only she could take back time.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around to see Professor Snape standing near the door looking at her with his expressionless face. Lia quickly stood up.

"I wasn't supposed to be in here, was I?" she asked.

"Not really. This is the room of requirement. It appears to anyone who needs it." Snape replied.

"I didn't need a room. I just walked in."

"You needed to be alone, as much as I can see, to think about something. And the Mirror of Erised was the best solution for it."

"How come the mirror was the solution? I don't understand."

"When you looked into the mirror, what did you see Miss Jones?"

Lia blushed. "That's kinda personal professor."

Snape sighed. "The mirror shows your deepest desire. I'm sure you've read what's written on the frame."

"Yeah, but it doesn't make sense."

"If you read carefully, and use a small part of your brain, you'll find out that you have to read it backwards and unscramble the words, so it would read: _I show not your face, but your hearts desire._"

"Oh." Was all that Lia could say at that moment.

"Don't you have any more classes today Miss Jones?" Snape asked.

"Not anymore." Lia replied. "Professor, may I ask you something?"

"Yes."

"Why did you get into this room?"

Snape stared at her like he was looking at his worst enemy. At that moment, Lia finally understood everything that Harry had told her about Snape. That look on his face would scare all the ghosts who lived at Hogwarts.

"Okay, never mind. Sorry I asked." Lia said and left the room.

She walked through the corridor and headed to the stairs. She walked down until she reached the first floor. She looked around and found herself at the Entrance Hall. She walked out and headed to Hagrid's hut.

Rex saw her approaching and he ran to her, slamming her to the ground, waving his tail to the sides.

"Rex, stop it!" Lia said, trying to push her dog off her. "I know you miss me. I miss you too." She surrendered now, and kept playing with him on the ground. "Wanna play?" she said and got up. She picked up a stick and waved it in the air. "Okay boy, let's see how good are you in this. Fetch!" she threw the stick and Rex ran after it. Hagrid and Fang were in no place to be seen.

Lia kept playing with Rex for an hour until Remus came to see her.

"There you are!" he said.

"I told you that I'll be here."

"That was about four hours ago. I came to see you after lunch, but you weren't here. We got worried!"

"I'm not a kid, and I can take care of myself."

"And I don't doubt it." Remus said. "Lia, this place is dangerous for those who don't know anything about it."

"I know. I never left the castle anyway."

"And where were you?"

"Snape said it's called the room of requirement."

"Ah! I see." Remus said. "Wait a minute. Snape? He was there with you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, you're still breathing. That's why."

"Oh come on! First Harry and now you. That guy didn't do anything wrong…"

"Yet." Remus continued for her. "You'll see what I mean when term starts. I was in the same class with Snape. He was in Slytherin and I was in Gryffindor. Your uncle made quite a joke out of him. And I think that he hasn't quite forgot about it."

"My uncle made a joke out of him?"

"And not only your uncle." Remus said.

"You too?" Lia said with amazement and Remus nodded. "I wouldn't have guessed!"

"Well, that was a long time ago. But don't tell him about it, he wouldn't be so pleased to remember.

"I'll keep that in mind." Lia said.

"Let's go back to the castle. Where's Hagrid anyway?"

"He wasn't here when I came."

"Maybe he's out in the forest again. It's his favorite place."

They walked back into the castle. When they reached the Entrance Hall, Lia stopped.

"What is it?" Remus asked, but she didn't answer. She kept staring at one point, her hand on her scar.

"Lia, are you alright?" Remus asked her again, he stood in front of her and shook her. "Lia, answer me!"

__

A short man was standing near a little boy. There was a black hooded man with a face that looked like a white skull and he had eyes that looked quite like a snake eyes.

"Master, what do you desire now?" the short man asked, bowing in front of his master.

"Kill him Wormtail. And take his body to Hogsmeade. People should know that they will be living in fear." The man hissed.

"As you wish master." Wormtail said and took the boy to another room.

Lia saw herself in the room where Wormtail dragged the boy. He was crying and begging Wormtail to spare his life, but Wormtail didn't listen. He took out his wand and pointed it at the boy.

"Avada Kedavra!" Wormtail said and a green light flashed out of his wand and hit the boy on the chest. The boy fell silently on the ground. Then, everything turned black.

Lia opened her eyes to see Remus above her with a concerned look on his face.

"Are you alright?"

"No." Lia said with a shaky voice and breathing hard.

Remus helped her to get up. "What happened? You seemed fine until we got here."

"There was this man… he seemed familiar. In a black hood, and I recognized his voice. Oh my God!" She started to shake. "He's the one who killed my mother!"

"Lia, are you sure?"

"Yes! And there was this other man, short and fat, and a little boy." Her eyes filled with tears. She looked at Remus in the eyes. "Remus, he killed the boy!"

"We have to see Dumbledore." Remus said and they ran to Dumbledore's office.

They entered Dumbledore's office to see Harry sitting there with him.

"Sorry professor, but this is an emergency." Remus said. "Lia has just witnessed something weird."

"I believe you were also there Lia?" Dumbledore asked with a calm voice. "Have a seat please. And tell me what you saw exactly."

"I was coming back to the castle with Remus and suddenly, I felt strange, my scar burnt, and I saw myself standing in a strange room. It was the man who killed my mom, and another one, he was short and fat. His name was… Wormtail. Yeah, that's it, Wormtail. They had a little boy with them, and this Wormtail killed him. He was going to take the body to Hogsmeade." Lia was shaking again. Remus put his arm around her shoulder, trying to calm her.

"Harry had witnessed the same event." Dumbledore said.

"How come I couldn't see her there professor?" Harry asked.

"Because you two were far from each other at that moment, and each one of you were thinking about different things."

"So, it means that Voldemort is starting his evil work again." Remus said.

"I'm afraid that he is." Dumbledore replied.

"Don't tell me that this was true! That little boy was innocent!" Lia said.

"Unfortunately, we cannot stop Voldemort at this moment. As we don't know where he is." Dumbledore said.

"But we have to find him! We have to stop him before he kills some one else!" Lia said, with anger in her voice.

"He will find us." Dumbledore said with his usually calm voice.

"What do you mean?" Lia asked.

"I'm his main target whenever he starts something." Harry said. "He'll be here soon. Or at least, one of his Death Eaters."

"Professor, do you think we should put some protection on Harry and Lia?" Remus asked.

"Hogwarts is a safe place Remus and you know that. They won't need protection inside the castle. But if they want to go out, someone from the Order should be with them." Dumbledore replied. "And I think that both of them needs occlumency classes."

"I don't want to attend occlumency." Harry said, "Remember what happened the last time I was alone with Snape?"

"Harry, that was an accident." Remus said.

"Harry is free if he doesn't want to attend Remus." Dumbledore said. "He knows what he must do to stop Voldemort from playing with his mind. But Lia doesn't, so she will attend occlumency classes with Professor Snape."

"Why couldn't Remus teach her?" Harry asked. "I don't want her to be alone with Snape!"

"I can take care of my self." Lia said. "Besides, I don't understand why do you all keep talking about Snape like he was some kind of a criminal?"

"That's the spirit!" Dumbledore said. "I will talk to Professor Snape tonight and you might start your occlumency classes tomorrow Miss Jones."

"Thank you Professor. But what is occlumency?" Lia asked.

"You will know tomorrow." Dumbledore said. "Now you are free to go. I will speak to the Minister about this last event."

Harry, Remus and Lia left the office. Harry was furious about the thought that Snape was going to teach Lia occlumency. He knew how it felt when someone invaded your brain. He couldn't stop Snape from doing it. And instead, he sneaked into the penseive and looked into Snape's memories.

"Harry." Lia said as they walked through the corridors. "What's wrong about that occlumency class?"

"Snape." Harry replied.

"Harry, I'm sure that Snape won't keep the penseive on his table this time." Remus said. "And don't worry about Lia, I'm sure she can handle him."

"He has been nice to me since this morning." Lia said.

"Wait until tomorrow." Harry said. "I'll be in my room if you need me. I need to write some letters to Ron and Hermione."

"Okay. See you at dinner." Lia said, and Harry went to his dormitory.

"He really doesn't like Snape, does he?" Lia asked.

"Snape has the habit of assaulting all the students who are not Slytherins." Remus replied.

"Why?"

"First, he's the head of the Slytherin house. And second, Harry is James' son, and James did really awful things to Snape."

"Oh I see. And Harry is his main victim now?"

"You can say that. Snape wouldn't miss a chance of taking points from Gryffindor. Any kind of trouble and he's there."

They went out to a balcony that looked at the lake.

"This place is wonderful." Lia said, admiring the view in front of her.

"I agree. No one would guess that the forest is forbidden from looking at it from here. It looks so peaceful." Remus said.

"What kind of animals live there anyway?"

"They're mostly magical creatures. And they are dangerous to humans. It seems that only Hagrid can handle them. He goes to the forest almost everyday."

"He seems to be a nice person."

"And he is. Most of the people think his dangerous because of his looks. But he can't harm a fly."

Lia stared at the forest for a while in silence. She has never seen a place more beautiful before. Mountains covered with trees surrounding the area, a huge lake and a forest from one side, and the castle from the other. People would pay millions to get a house at a place like this, but here she was. Miss Lia Jones, who didn't have enough money to feed herself, standing in a castle surrounded by the beauty of nature in the world of magic. A world that she never knew about.

"Remus." Lia said, interrupting the silence.

"Yes?" Remus replied.

"Why did Voldemort kill my mother?"

Remus was confused. No one ever wondered why Voldemort killed people. He usually killed them for his enjoyment. Harry's case was different, but killing Lia's mother was another case. Voldemort has found her somehow and killed her. He also tried to kill Lia, but he didn't succeed.

"I don't know Lia. No one can say what's on his mind when he kills people. Sometimes he does that for fun. But sometimes he has a purpose. I really don't know the reason of killing your mother."

Lia's eyes filled with tears as she remembered that day. "I remember him telling her that he won't forgive her because she married my dad. But why would he say that? Sometimes I think that he had some feelings for her. But if he had, why would he kill her?"

"Come here." Remus said and took Lia into his arms. "All I know is that they used to study in the same class. They knew each other from school. James used to keep an eye on Emily, although he was younger than her. But that didn't stop your mother from meeting your father every summer. And during school terms, she used to write to him all the time. Voldemort used to talk to her most of the time, but she used to make a fight out of it at the end. She never liked him. But none of us thought that he might have some feelings about her. He never showed that anyway."

"But why did that happen? Everyone says that our house was protected by charms. How did he find out?" Lia was crying now.

"There's only one possibility. Someone has told him. Just like the night when James and Lily died. Wormtail told him where they were and he came and killed them."

Remus ran his fingers through Lia's hair. "Now stop crying please. It won't help you. It's all gone, and you must stay strong to be able to fight back."

"But I can't. I don't know anything about magic, how am I supposed to fight back?"

"You are here to study magic, aren't you? You'll learn about everything, and I'm sure that you'll be an excellent witch just like your mother."

Lia straightened herself and wiped her tears. "I guess you're right. Crying won't do. I'll learn everything I can and I'll get my revenge. Voldemort took away the last two precious persons in my life and left me suffer all these years. I won't let him get away with it. He will pay for what he did."

Remus smiled. "You remind me of your mother, you know? She always took her revenge when she wanted to."

"She was a wonderful woman. I never thought that she would approve about me and John going out together. She liked him and he liked her. Nothing was so perfect before, until Voldemort ruined it." She put her hand on her scar.

"Come, let's get inside." Remus said as he noticed her hand movement. It meant that her scar was hurting, and he didn't want her to lose consciousness again. "You need some rest. I'll take you to your room, and Dobby will bring you dinner. You don't have to be at the Great Hall tonight. Besides, I am leaving tonight and I'll be back after a couple of days."

"Where are you going?" Lia asked.

"I have some work to attend." Remus replied nervously.

Lia nodded. They went inside and Remus took her to her room. After that he went to his room and took two bottles of Wolfsbane, and then he went to meet Wolf.

"Are you ready?" Remus asked as he saw Wolf waiting for him in the corridor.

"Yes. Oh huff-puff! I don't feel good about leaving Virginia alone." Wolf said.

"She'll be fine here. Come on, let's go before some one sees us." Remus said and they went out.

The reached the Whomping Willow and Remus ducked to avoid a branch that headed toward his face. He kneeled and quickly he went to the entrance to the secret passage and touched the base of the tree. It stopped waving its branches around and Wolf followed Remus down the passage until they reached the Shrieking Shack.

"I thought you'd never come!" Sirius said as he saw them enter his room.

"Hello Sirius." Remus said.

"Hi Sirius!" Wolf said.

"How's everything going?" Sirius asked.

"A boy was killed this morning. His body will be at Hogsmeade today." Remus said.

"What? How did you know?" Sirius asked.

"Lia and Harry saw it happen." Remus said. "Wormtail killed the boy. Voldemort is planning something new."

"I swear I'll kill that pig head when I see him." Sirius said.

"I wouldn't spare his life either." Remus said as he sat on the bed.

"So, when's the full moon?" Sirius asked.

"Tomorrow." Wolf replied. "But I am getting nervous already."

"I know how you feel." Remus said and took out to little bottles out of his pocket and gave one to Wolf. "Here, drink this. It's called Wolfsbane. It helps to ease the pain of transformation and keeps your mind in place."

Wolf took the bottle and sniffed it. "It doesn't smell good. But thanks anyway." He opened the bottle and drank the potion. Remus did the same, and they sat there together with Sirius talking about Voldemort's latest crime and how would they prevent any more murders.


	12. Full Moon Crisis

****

A/N: Thank you **The Lord Of pencil** and** GiGiFanFic **for your reviews :)

Chapter twelve - Full Moon Crisis

As the full moon night approached Wolf was getting nervous. It was his first time to spend a full moon in another world and with drinking a potion. He looked at the bottle in for an instant and saw Remus swallow his share of the Wolfsbane.

"It won't kill you." Said Sirius.

"I don't feel comfortable about this." Wolf said, whimpering.

"Oh come on! You're acting like a five year old!"

"No I'm not!" Wolf's eyes flashed yellow for a moment, which made Sirius blink in surprise. Wolf opened the bottle and swallowed the yellow potion at once. He waited for something to happen, but for his surprise, it tasted good and he didn't feel anything.

"Lamb chops." Wolf said.

"What?" Sirius asked.

"It tastes like lamb chops."

"It tasted like butterbeer when I drank it." Remus said.

"Maybe it has a separate flavor for each one." Sirius said.

"I should ask Severus about this." Remus said and sat on the bed.

"You mean Snivellus." Sirius laughed.

"Snivellus? What kind of a name is that?" Wolf asked.

"It's Snape's nickname. We gave it to him at school. Oh how I long for those days to come back." Sirius said.

A sudden silence fell in the room. Sirius' and Remus's faces went blank. It has been so many years since they graduated. The best years of their lives: James was alive; Peter was still considered their friend. If only they didn't graduate from Hogwarts. James would've been alive, and Peter wouldn't have had the chance to join the dark Lord.

"I feel dizzy." Wolf said, interrupting the silence.

"It happens at the first time of drinking Wolfsbane." Remus replied.

"What else should I expect?"

"In my case, I felt dizzy and pain. When I drink the potion, I do transform but I keep my human senses and memory too."

"I think I need to lay down." Wolf said and threw himself on an empty bed on the other corner of the room. He closed his eyes so he wouldn't see a spinning ceiling in front of his eyes.

"Moony, d'you reckon he'll survive?" Sirius whispered.

"I heard that!" Wolf said. His wolf senses were rising.

"No offence. But you do look pale." Sirius said.

"It will pass." Remus said.

"I wonder what Virginia is doing now?" Wolf asked himself.

"She'll probably be sleeping by now. It's almost eleven." Remus said.

Virginia sat on the windowsill in her room and stared at the clear sky. The full moon was shining and the stars were glittering. She sighed. She was worried about Wolf. He was out there in the dark, probably alone and defenseless. She wanted to be with him but she was scared of going out all-alone in a place that she didn't know anything about.

Virginia put her hand on her stomach and closed her eyes. Her baby was almost a month old now and she didn't want to do anything to hurt him. Wolf had mentioned sometime that it was going to be a boy. He convinced her that his wolf senses allow him to detect the sex of the baby before its birth. She was happy to have him by her side; he knew what she wanted before even she mentioned it. He knew how to make her happy, how to make her smile when she was sad. But tonight… Tonight she was concerned about him. He didn't tell her where he was spending the night. But knowing that he was with Remus made her nervous. She didn't know that Remus was a werewolf. She thought that Wolf might hurt him during his cycle.

"I have to find him." She told herself and got dressed.

Virginia walked through the dark corridors, trying to find her way out of the castle. She walked in the dark until she bumped into something… or someone.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry. Lia? Is that you?"

"Yeah. Virginia? What're you doing out here?"

"Searching for Wolf. What about you?"

"Just having a night walk. So, did you find him?"

"Not yet. I just got out of my room. Wanna join me?"

"Sure, I don't have anything to do, and I don't feel like sleeping."

"Okay, let's get out of this place first."

Lia led the way to the Entrance Hall. It was brighter there, as the huge windows let the cozy light of the moon enter.

"This is better." Virginia said. "I thought I was going blind back there."

"I had the same feeling." Lia said with a smile.

"Where should we search?"

"I don't know. Where does he usually go at this time of the month?"

"Well, last month he was stuck in a barn at a village. But as he told me, he's always at the forest."

"Forest! There's one here! But wait, it's forbidden. Would he go there?"

"I don't think that he'll miss the chance of exploring it for a hunt. Let's go."

Virginia and Lia went to the Forbidden Forest. They skipped the way to it, which went by Hagrid's Hut, in case Rex would start barking and Hagrid will sense that something was wrong. They passed the Whomping Willow, which stood there in peace. Virginia looked at it suspiciously. It seemed to her that this tree leads to something, but she shook that thought away as they went deeper into the forest. Suddenly, they heard a howl.

"Wait." Virginia said and they stopped. "Did you hear that?"

"The howl? Yeah, I did. Do you think it's him?"

"I'm not sure. I never heard him howl that loud."

"I wonder if there are any other wolves around." Lia asked as she looked around her.

"I sure hope not. I'm not in the mood to meet any other wolf right now."

Wolf curled up in the bed and howled. Sirius got up and approached him.

"Sirius, don't. He's transforming or something. You might get hurt." Remus said as he put his arms around his stomach, which started to cause him discomfort.

"I think I should transform too." Sirius said.

"Good idea." Remus replied, breathing hard. "I think I'm transforming too. It's almost midnight."

"Yeah." Sirius said and took out his wand. He pointed it to his head and murmured something under his breath. At once he was transforming into a black dog.

"Where's Sirius? And where did that dog come from?" Wolf asked as he sat up. His pain has faded for a moment.

"He's the dog." Remus said.

"He's a half-dog?"

"He's an animagi. He changes to a dog when he wants to."

"Oh." Wolf nodded, obviously confused. But he hadn't time to think of a new question as pain hit him again and he whimpered and howled.

Remus was also in pain as his transformation finally started. Two pointed ears appeared instead of his human ears, his canines grew longer and sharper, and sharp fangs grew instead of nails on his hands and feet. His body twitched as fur started to grow on his skin.

Wolf, on the other hand was feeling feverish. His eyes flashed yellow, then red, and then it was back to yellow and remained that way. Veins were visible on his skin and it seemed that blood was boiling in them. His canines grew longer and howled. He dropped in his bed for a while.

When he opened his yellow eyes he smelt something strange. He looked around and saw a werewolf and a dog; each curled in a corner of the room. Wolf stood up.

"I need to go out." He said, but he didn't get a reply from them. They just looked at him as to say, "don't go". Padfoot stood and approached him.

"I want to run. I can't sit here and wait for the morning to come." Wolf said and ran out of the room. Padfoot looked at Moony and barked. They both followed Wolf to the passage that led to the Whomping Willow.

Wolf touched the base of the tree as he got out and stood there to sniff the fresh air.  
"Ah! This feels better." He said and suddenly, he caught a familiar scent. "It can't be. What is she doing out here! And she's not alone!" he growled and walked after Virginia's scent. Moony and Padfoot got out of the tree and followed Wolf in silence.  
"I smelt Virginia and Lia. They're out here and I can't leave them alone." He told them as he walked through the forest.

A sudden scream made them stop. Wolf looked around and his eyes flashed red in anger. "Virginia!" he called and ran to the direction of the voice. Another scream was heard, this time another voice. Wolf got panicked and ran faster, Moony and Padfoot running after him.

Two black hooded creatures were floating in the sky near the lake while Lia and Virginia were lying on the ground motionless. They kept flying around them, heading to suck life out of them both. Padfoot stood there and watched motionless. They were dementors. He wanted to warn Wolf not to approach, but it was too late. Wolf was already kneeling near Virginia trying to wake her up, but one of the dementors approached him and Wolf felt his body freezing. Several memories passed through his mind. His parents being burnt at a stake and screaming, while villagers were looking at them, laughing and throwing stones at them.

Padfoot transformed into his human form and took out his wand. He ran to the lake as fast as he could and he felt cold as one of the dementors spotted him. He pointed his wand at them and screamed as loud as he could:

"Expecto Patronum!"

A white light flashed out of his wand and a dog appeared. It chased the dementors away from them. Sirius noticed that Lia was getting up and he ran behind the trees and watched from there.

Lia opened her eyes and looked around. Wolf was kneeling next to Virginia trying to wake her up.

"Wolf, is she alright?" she asked.

Wolf whimpered. "I don't know. Oh Virginia, please be alright. Bad, bad Wolf!" he hit his head with his hand.

"Wolf stop it! It's not your fault!" Lia said and moved to Virginia's side. She put her head on Virginia's chest. "She's breathing."

Virginia opened her eyes and felt dizzy. "W-what happened? Wolf! Oh Wolf, thank God you're here!" she threw herself into Wolf's arms. "I'm sorry I got out of the castle. I wanted to make sure you're okay."

"It's okay honey. I'm fine. What were those creatures?"

"I have no idea." Lia said, confused. She has never seen anything like that before. She felt that she wouldn't know happiness anymore. "It was so cold when they came."

"I sensed that too." Wolf said as he stroke Virginia's hair.

"But how did they disappear?" Lia asked and looked around.

"I have no idea." Wolf said and stood up; he helped Virginia to stand up as well. "We better go back to the castle. I don't want you two out here in the middle of the night." He growled at Lia. "How could you let her get out?"

"I…"

"Wolf, it's not her fault. I asked her to come." Virginia said.

"Why? So you would play pretty-brave-princess in the middle of a full moon night?" he growled at her.

"I was worried about you, okay? Now let's go back."

They walked through the forest back to the castle. Wolf was holding Virginia's hand and whimpering from time to time. He felt guilty about blaming them for getting out of the castle.

Lia walked beside them. The forest seemed abandoned. There were no signs of living creatures around. She stopped when she noticed two golden eyes looking at her from a distance and felt curiosity rising in her to go and see whom they belonged to.

She headed to the direction of the eyes. Wolf and Virginia were no where to be seen now. Lia felt panicked.

"Great! Now I'm lost! What have I done to deserve this?!" she asked herself. "How am I supposed to go back now?"

She looked around but couldn't figure out where she was. "Wolf? Virginia?" she called, but no one answered back. "Okay, all I have to do is turn back and walk straight." She sighed. "I just hope I'll find my way back."

She turned back and walked, looking around from time to time to see if she was being followed. Suddenly, she heard a howl and the golden eyes appeared. "Please don't be one of those creatures." She said to herself. They eyes approached her until she saw a huge werewolf standing in front of her. Lia's face went pale. She didn't know if she should scream or run. She was shaking now and chose to scream.

"HELP!" she called and ran away. The werewolf followed her with blocking her way from time to time until she reached a familiar space. The huge funny looking tree and the castle right behind it. She ran to the castle and after a moment she stopped. The werewolf wasn't following her anymore. She took a deep breath.

"That was close." She said to herself and walked toward the castle. But this time, another thing caught her attention. She saw a figure of a man staring at her not so far from her. He had dark, shoulder length hair. She couldn't see his eye color but the moonlight allowed her to see his face clearly. Lia was stunned. It couldn't be him. No, no, no. He died eight years ago. But as she concentrated on his face, her heart sank, and tears rolled down her cheek.

"John?" she said and walked slowly to the man. "John is that you?"

The man ran away into the forest and disappeared.

"Lia!" Wolf came running to her. Lia stood there staring at the spot where she thought she saw her boyfriend.

"Lia, where did you go?" Wolf asked.

"W-what?" Lia said and turned to him. "I'm sorry… I wasn't listening."

"What happened to you? You were walking with us and suddenly disappeared!"

"I thought I saw John." Lia said.

"Who's John? Oh ever mind, come on I'll take you back to the castle." Wolf took Lia back into Hogwarts. He escorted her to the Entrance Hall.

"I have to go now. I can't stay here tonight. Go straight to your room, okay?" he said.

"Okay." Lia replied and walked to her room. She was shocked. John actually appeared to her after all these years.

She reached her room door but hesitated. She needed to talk to someone. Someone who would understand and care. She looked to the door next to hers.

"Remus." She whispered and knocked his door. When she noticed that he didn't answer, she thought that he was asleep and went back to her room. She sat near the window for a while and stared at the forest. She has seen him. After all these years he came back to her. But maybe he was just a ghost.

"No, he couldn't be alive. I saw him die!" Lia got up and lay on her bed. She cried herself to sleep.

Wolf went back to the Shrieking Shack at dawn and saw Sirius and Remus sitting there. Remus was lying on bed and he looked pale.

"Where did you go?" Sirius asked.

"I was out there in the forest." Wolf replied as he sat on a chair.

"You could've been killed. Those dementors could've returned."

"Dementors?"

"Those black hooded creatures you tried to fight. Very brilliant!" Sirius said with sarcasm in his voice.

"They hurt my Virginia!"

"And they could've killed you both! There's only one way to fight a dementor and only a wizard can do it. With a wand!" he pointed his wand at Wolf's face.

"Take that away!" he shove the wand away from his face.

"Sorry, I lost my temper. It's just that Lia saw me just before you found her."

"So what? You were in your dog form. Weren't you? I smelt you there." Wolf asked, and at that moment Remus opened his eyes.

"No. I transformed back to human to send those dementors away. And I didn't go back to a dog. And after Moony frightened her way back to the castle she saw me."

"You did what?" Remus said. "Sirius, how could you do that?! You know that no one should see you around this place until your name is cleared!"

"I know Moony. But… I needed to see how she looked. Emily was our best friend too remember?"

"Of course I remember!" Remus said.

"But when she saw me, she called me John. That was weird." Sirius said. "Why should she call me John. And who is he anyway?"

"John was her boyfriend who was killed by Voldemort, on the same night when Emi died." Remus said.

"But why did she call me John? Moony, does she have his photo with her?" Sirius asked.

"I'll ask her." Remus looked concerned. "This is strange. Why should she see her boyfriend in you? You didn't see any ghost in between you two? Or around you over there?"

"No. It was only her and me. Oh, and she does look good." Sirius said with a grin.

"Sirius! I warned you! She's Emi's daughter! Don't you ever think about her that way!"

"So what? It's very good that she's Emi's daughter. At least I know who her parents are."

"You're useless!" Remus said. "I'm tired and I need to go to sleep. Wolf, are you coming?"

"Yeah." Wolf replied.

"See you around!" Sirius said as Remus and Wolf went to the castle.

Remus was silent on the way to the castle. Wolf tried to start some conversation occasionally but Remus didn't pay attention. He was busy in analyzing what Sirius has just told them. Lia has recognized Sirius as her ex-boyfriend. But why would she do that? Remus continued his way to his room. Before he reached the doorknob he noticed a concerned Lia staring at him from the front of her room door.

"Er… Good morning." He said in a calm voice.

"Where were you last night?" she asked. Her eyes were red and puffy.

"In… my room." He replied.

"You're lying and you know that." She waved her hand and Remus' room door was opened. "I need to talk to you."

Remus stared at what Lia has just done in total amazement. "How did you…?"

"It doesn't matter now. There's something more important that I want to talk to you about."

"Lia, I'm sorry but I'm really tired."

"Remus, this is urgent!"

Remus knew that the conversation was going to lead to Sirius, and that's why he wanted to avoid it. But as he saw Lia's red eyes he knew that he couldn't just go in his room as nothing has happened. "Alright, come in."

They entered the room and Remus closed the door. "Have a seat." He told her and pointed to a chair near the window. Lia sat on it and he went to sit on the windowsill in front of her. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Lia took a deep breath. "I think I saw John last night."

Remus stared at his with a blank expression on his face. He didn't know how to react on this. He promised Dumbledore that he won't tell anyone about Sirius being alive, but he couldn't keep it from Lia. She had the right to know that it wasn't John whom she saw last night. But if he told her, he would break his promise to Dumbledore. He didn't know what to say.

"Remus?" Lia said gently. "Are you alright? You really look tired." She stood and put her hand on his cheek. "You're pale."

Remus managed to smile. "I should be." He said.

"You better go to bed. Can you get undressed by yourself? Or should I call Harry to help you?"

"I can do it myself, thank you."

"Okay, I'll wait outside. Call me when you're finished." Lia left the room and waited in front of the door.

Remus sighed. What was he supposed to do. His body was aching from the changing last night and he managed to change his clothes. He opened the door and called Lia in. She entered and closed the door behind her.

"Er… I think you should take of your shirt." Lia said.

"Excuse me?"

"I'll massage your back."

"Oh, you don't need to. I'll just take a nap and I'll be fine."

"Take off your shirt. You're in no condition to sleep now. Go on, I'm waiting." She folded her arms and waited for him.

"Alright." He took off his shirt and stood there.

"Get in bed. On your stomach." Lia commanded.

Remus did as he was told. Lia climbed his back and sat on him. She started massaging his back with gentle moves. Remus sighed in relief and closed his eyes.

"You have magical hands." He said.

"I know." She replied and kept massaging him.

After a while she noticed that he was asleep. She slowly got off his back and pulled the bed cover over him and left the room. She closed the door gently after her and went to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Harry was sitting near the table and he looked like he was waiting for her to come, so he would start eating.

"Morning." He said as Lia approached.

"Good morning Harry." Lia replied.

"Why do you have red eyes?" he has noticed after all.

"I do?" Lia asked, as she hasn't noticed it.

"Yes, you do. Now come on, tell me what's wrong. Another dream?"

Lia smiled. "No."

"Then why have you been crying?"

Lia helped herself with some tea. "Who said I was?"

"Come on Lia, I am trying to help!"

"Harry, I'm alright, don't worry. It's Remus whom you should worry about. I think his sick."

"Remus? He was fine yesterday."

"Yesterday is not this morning." Lia said as a matter-off-fact.

"Yeah… I guess you're right." He remembered that it was full moon last night, and maybe that was why Remus didn't feel good. "How did you sleep?" he asked as he took a bite of bacon.

"I don't know. Can't remember." She said.

"See? I knew you were hiding something." Harry said.

"Harry, don't get me wrong, but I'd like to keep it private."

"Alright. So, what classes do you have today?"

Lia took out a piece of paper where she wrote her schedule. "Double Charms, History of Magic, 'Not that ghost again!' and Transfiguration. That's all."

"Nice schedule. I bet you'll like Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall teaches it. She's the best, and she's the head of Gryffindor House."

"How nice." Lia said, not really paying attention. Her mind drifted into the night before. She remembered the man she saw. How he looked like John.

Wolf and Virginia entered the Hall accompanied by Tony and Wendell. Wolf was as excited as ever.

"Good morning everyone!" Wolf said and sat near the table.

"Good morning." Lia ad Harry said together.

"How did you sleep Lia?" Virginia asked.

"I can't remember. And I don't think I want to." Lia said.

"I know what you mean. That was awful." Virginia said.

"I told you not to get out!" Tony snapped at his daughter.

"Could someone please tell me what's going on here?" Harry said.

"I thought Lia told you already!" Wolf said.

"No she didn't. She said it was private." Harry said.

"Oh, no, no, no. Not that part. You can skip that, but last night Lia and Virginia here tried to play heroines by going out to the forest in the middle of the night."

"You did what?" Harry turned to Lia.

Lia raise an eyebrow. "Excuse me, but who's older here?"

"And that's not all Harry." Wolf continued. "We found them near the lake and they were being attacked by dementors."

"WHAT?!" Harry shouted and all the teachers who were around the table stared at him.

"Mr. Potter, could you calm your emotions a little bit?" Snape said.

Harry ignored him and turned to Wolf. "What happened then?"

Uh-oh. Wolf was trapped. He couldn't tell them about Sirius. "Well, er… I can't remember. However, I think it was Remus. Yeah! Remus came there and then, there was a white flash of light and a dog appeared. It chased the dementors away."

"Remus' Patronus is not a dog!" Harry said.

"What's a patronus?" Lia asked.

"It's the only spell that can fight a dementor. But Remus' patronus is a wolf, not a dog."

Wolf blushed. He didn't know anything about that spell. "Oh, then it might have been a wolf. I don't know… umm… yeah, maybe it was a wolf."

Harry looked at him with suspicious eyes.

"It was full moon after all. I can't remember all the details." Wolf said.

"Alright, at least you all are fine." Harry said, but he knew that there was something fishy going on here. Remus was supposed to be a werewolf last night, and he couldn't have been able to use his wand, not to mention thinking clearly to conjure a patronus.

"I better go to class." Lia said and got up.

"Do you need me to show you the way?" Harry asked.

"I think I can manage this time. Thanks pumpkin." She smiled sweetly at Harry and went to her class.

"Pumpkin? How nice!" Wolf said, and Virginia elbowed him as she saw Harry blush. "Ouch!"

"Don't overreact okay?" she told Wolf, who gave her a wink.

Everyone was busy with something that day, even Lia. She headed from class to class all day but she never managed to keep her mind off the incident of the last night. The figure of that man was haunting her all day. She had to know who he was.


	13. Snow White's New Plan

Thank you **The Lord of Pencil** and** Timra **for the reviews :)

Chapter thirteen - Snow White's New Plan

Lia didn't know what to think. Everything was messed up in her mind. She was sitting in the Transfiguration class. Professor McGonagall was explaining the importance of transfiguration, but Lia didn't pay attention. She stared at the blackboard while the teacher kept writing and drawing some schemes, but her mind was somewhere else.

"Miss Jones, are you feeling ill?" Professor McGonagall asked.

Lia shook her head and looked at the professor. "What? Excuse me, I wasn't paying attention."

"Miss Jones, I demand your full attention during my class as it is one of the important subjects." Professor McGonagall said. She noticed the concerned look on Lia's face. "What's wrong Miss Jones?" she sat next to Lia.

"I went out last night." Lia started, looking at the ground. "I was walking through the corridors when I saw Virginia. We went out to the forest looking for Wolf; she was worried about him. When we reached the lake, two black hooded creatures appeared and we felt really cold and I felt that happiness was being sucked out of me. It was an odd feeling. I think I passed out then. Then, when I woke up I saw Wolf next to Virginia and me. She was unconscious too. He led us back here, and I saw strange eyes staring at me from behind the trees. I followed them, and I was lost. Then, a wolf appeared and started to chase me. I was so scared and I ran. However, it seemed that it showed me the way back. When I reached near the huge tree outside the gates, I saw a man standing there. I walked closer to him but he ran away. I think it was John." She looked at McGonagall with tearful eyes. "My boyfriend who was killed by Voldemort."

Professor McGonagall listened silently to what Lia had to say. If she was angry about her being out in the middle of the night, she hid her face expression pretty well. She smiled at Lia and put her hand on her shoulder. "You know that you did a wrong thing by going out at night. Don't you?" Lia nodded. "And I assume that you have seen a ghost. As you know, there are many ghosts in Hogwarts, and maybe that was one of them, and he happened to look like your boyfriend."

"But he was real. I mean, I know how a ghost looks like. I've seen Professor Binns. He's gray and somehow transparent. But that man wasn't gray colored at all, not to mention transparent." Lia said.

"I will speak to Professor Dumbledore about this. You may go to your room to have a rest before dinner."

"Alright professor. Thank you for listening to me. I didn't know whom to talk about this."

"You can come to me whenever you need help, or even if you just want to talk." Professor McGonagall smiled warmly to Lia.

"Thank you professor. I'll keep that in mind." Lia smiled back. "See you at dinner?"

"Yes, of course. Have a nice evening."

Lia left the class and went to her room. McGonagall's smiley face turned into a concerned one. She quickly went to visit the Headmaster.

Remus opened his eyes to see that it was evening already. He has slept all day, and he felt relaxed. Lia's massage had helped him to sleep peacefully. He looked at his watch; it was seven o'clock in the evening. He got up and got dressed, then he went out. Lia's door was closed, he stared at it and wanted to knock, but then he thought against it. He continued his way to the guest dormitories to see how was Wolf doing.

He stood in front of a portrait of a young witch and said the password.

"Butterbeer."

The portrait swung to a side and opened a passage to the common room. He climbed the stairs and noticed King Wendell sitting in front of the fireplace reading a book.

"Good evening Your Majesty." Remus said.

"Good evening Mr. Lupin." Wendell replied.

"Remus, please."

Wendell smiled. "Have a seat Remus. It's nice to see you visiting us."

Remus sat on an armchair next to Wendell. "I was wondering how Wolf spent the day. It was full moon last night as you know."

"He just went to his room. He'll be back soon, I guess."

Virginia came out of the door that led to the dormitories. "Remus! How nice to see you here!" she said happily. "I wanted to thank you for saving our lives last night. Those black creatures were frightening."

Remus looked confused. He wasn't in the Great Hall at Breakfast and he missed the conversation about him being the one who conjured a patronus to drive the dementors away. "Oh, er… yes, they are quite dangerous." He said.

"It seemed that they brought winter with them, it was awful." Virginia said, as she sat on another armchair.

"I wouldn't recommend going out to the Forbidden Forest anymore." Remus said.

"Well, someday we'll have to." Wendell said. "The portal leading to my palace is there."

Virginia froze in her seat. "Oh my God!"

"What is it Virginia?" Wendell asked.

"There was no one to turn off the mirror in the palace when we came here!" Virginia said with obvious panic in her voice.

"You're right! Someone, or something would fall through it accidentally!" Wendell said and got up. "I have to go back."

"Go back where?" Tony asked as he came into the common room. "Hi Mr. Lupin." He said as he saw Remus sitting there.

"Back to the palace Anthony, we've left the Mirror of Magic opened."

"What? How could that skip our minds?" Tony said. "We have to go back!"

"I'll go back. No one knows that I have left, and the kingdom might be in crisis now. You know how Lord Rupert is." Wendell said.

Lord Rupert was Wendell's Chancellor. He was promoted after Wendell's coronation, and he liked everything to be organized by him. Sometimes, that turned into a disaster, as he tried to do something strange on each attempt, especially when it concerned decorations and Royal balls.

"He would probably try and paint the thrown room in pink!" Tony said. "And I'm sure he would add some of those heart shaped balloons from Kissingtown! Wendell, we have to go right away."

"Yes, let me get ready." Wendell said and went to his room.

"Dad, how are you supposed to find the way to the place we arrived?" Virginia asked.

"I don't know." Tony replied. "Wait! That horse guy we met! He said he's a teacher remember?"

"Yeah, but I can't remember his name." Virginia said.

"Firenze?" Remus asked.

"Exactly!" Tony said. "Do you know how can we find him?"

"I don't know, maybe he's in his classroom on the first floor. He is one of Lia's personal teachers." Remus said.

"I'll go and see if I can find him there." Tony said and stormed out of the common room.

"I hope dad can find him. If a suspicious creature ends up in the Fourth Kingdom, we're doomed. Wendell might lose his thrown." Virginia said.

"Let's not think about that right now. I'm sure everything will be fine." Remus said and Virginia smiled.

At that moment, both Wolf and Wendell came to the common room.

"I'm ready." Wendell said.

"Ready for what? Hi Remus!" Wolf said.

"Hello Wolf."

"Wolf, we need to go back to Wendell's palace, we forgot the mirror opened. Someone could fall through the portal." Virginia said.

"Cripes! Let's go then!" Wolf said. "I can find our way back."

"Now we'll be late because of dad! I totally forgot that you can find the way back to the portal by your smelling abilities." Virginia said.

"That's okay my little sausage. Let's just go and find Tony."

They all left the common room and headed to the first floor. Tony was walking toward them with a concerned look on his face.

"He's not there. What're we going to do?" Tony asked.

"I can find the way back, Tone. Remember?" Wolf said.

"Oh, yeah, right." Tony said.

"What're we waiting for? Let's go!" Virginia said.

They headed to the Entrance Hall and when they reached it, they saw Professor Dumbledore speaking with Professor McGonagall.

"Ah! It's nice to see you all!" Dumbledore said. "Heading for dinner?"

"Actually Professor, they are going to the Forbidden Forest. They have left their mirror opened." Remus said.

"We think that someone could fall through it." Wendell said. "And no one in my kingdom knows that I've left the palace."

"I've taken care of that Wendell." Dumbledore said.

"But, how? The mirror should be turned off from the other side." Wendell said.

"Snow White visited me last night and she told me that you all were so excited about coming here that you forgot about everything else." Dumbledore said, and Wendell blushed. "So, we decided to send someone else to take your place during your absence."  
"And who is this person?" Wendell asked.

"Unfortunately, I can't tell you. But Snow White said that she will put a charm on him to turn him into you, and no one in your palace will notice that you're not there."

"Does that person know anything about ruling a kingdom?" Virginia asked.

"He'll learn." Dumbledore said. "At least, I hope so. But Snow White will be there to guide him."

Wendell had a concerned look on his face. "But what if something happens that would break that spell?"

"As I said, Snow White is going to be there all the time. Therefore, you don't have to worry. Besides, you all are here on a quest, and you have to complete it before returning."

"Professor, we don't know what quest are we on, other than finding Lia." Tony said.

"I'm afraid that's not all Mr. Lewis. There has been a murder of an infant. Lia and Harry have witnessed it. And I believe that it has something to do with your quest."

"Who was it?" Virginia asked.

"We don't know who the child was, but Voldemort gave the order to his servant to kill him." Dumbledore said.

Virginia's face went pale. "Why would he kill an innocent kid?"

Wolf put his arm around her shoulder trying to comfort her. "Don't worry my creamy girl. We'll make him pay for it."

"Let us all go to the Great Hall now. Dinner is about to be served." Dumbledore said.

"Huff-puff! I'm ravenous!" Wolf said.

"You always are." Tony snapped.

Professor McGonagall managed to hide a smile. They all went to the Great Hall and sat around the table, which was located in the middle of the Hall. After a few moments, Professor Snape entered, followed by Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout.

"Good evening professors!" Dumbledore said. "Come join us!"

"I see that not all of us are here." Snape said and at that moment Harry entered the Hall. He sat next to Remus.

"Where's Lia?" Remus asked.

"I thought she was here." Harry replied.

"Well, she's not. Have you checked her room?"

"No, you?"

"No, I didn't." Remus said. "I think I should go and check on her now." He got up but Professor McGonagall held him back.

"Remus, I asked her to go and have a rest before dinner. I think she might be still sleeping." She said.

"Alright, if she doesn't show up I'll take her dinner to her room." Remus said and sat down.

With a wave of Dumbledore's hand the table was filled with different kinds of food. Wolf's mouth dropped open at the sight of lamb chops and chicken. He quickly filled his plate and started to eat. Snape stared at him in disgust, but Wolf didn't seem to care.

After dinner Remus took a plate and filled it with some lamb chops and smashed potatoes, then he filled a glass with some apple juice and put them on a tray and took it to Lia's room. Harry went with him. They knocked the door, but there was no reply.

"Do you think she's still asleep?" Harry asked.

"I don't know. Should we enter?"

"Yes." Harry said and opened the door. They saw that Lia was curled up in her bed, still in her school robes and Rex was lying next to her, his head on her hips.

"Thank God she's here." Harry whispered and walked to her.

"How did Rex come here?" Remus asked and he placed the tray on a little table near the bed. "Is she sleeping?" he asked.

"I guess so. But she looks pale." Harry replied.

"She must be really tired." Remus said.

Harry shook Lia gently. "Lia, wake up. We brought you dinner."

Lia stirred and opened her eyes. "Can I sleep a little bit longer?" she asked in a sleepy voice.

"You'll have all the time you want to sleep. But first you have to eat." Harry said.

Lia sat up and saw Rex next to her. "Rex? What're you doing here?" she turned to Harry and Remus. "Did you bring him here?"

"He was here when we came." Harry said.

"I feel sleepy." Lia said and yawned.

"You can sleep right after you eat something. You didn't come for lunch." Harry said.

"Yeah, I guess I lost the track of time when I was at the library today."

"Lia, are you feeling alright?" Remus asked and put the tray on her bed.

"I'm fine." Lia replied and took a sip of apple juice. "Mmm, this is good."

"Don't change the subject." Remus said. "I know that you're hiding something that is concerning you."

"I really don't want to talk about it." Lia said as she helped herself with some smashed potatoes.

At that moment an owl came into the room and dropped a letter in front of Remus' feet and flew out of the window again. Remus picked up the letter and read the name on the envelope. "_Moony_" He recognized the handwriting. The letter was from Sirius. Remus put the letter in his pocket.

"Who is it from?" Harry asked.

"From an old friend." Remus said.

"I thought you didn't have any friends other than my dad and Sirius."

"They were my best friends. This one is someone else. You don't know him."

"Alright." Harry said.

"I'll be in my room if you need me." Remus said as he got up.

"Okay." Harry said.

"Oh, and Lia, thanks for the massage this morning. It really helped." Remus said with a smile.

"You're welcome. If you need to have one again, just let me know." Lia replied.

"I will." Remus said and left the room.

"What massage?" Harry asked.

"He was so tired this morning and he looked pale. So I massaged his back and he slept almost instantly."

"Oh, okay." Harry said. He knew that Lia still didn't know about Remus being a werewolf.

"I really wonder how Rex came here." Lia said as she scratched behind Rex's ears.

"Maybe he sneaked in." Harry said and Rex barked once.

Lia laughed. "He sneaked in."

"Genius!" Harry said. "You can be a lot of help to Fred and George."

"By the way Harry, do you have any news from your friends?"

"They are all fine. Ron wrote me yesterday saying that he really wants to come, but his mother wouldn't let him."

"What about your other friend?" Lia asked.

"Hermione is in France now. I didn't receive any owl from her yet."

"Harry, did you ever see your parents? I mean, in front of you, not in a dream." Lia asked.

Harry looked confused. "Well, I once saw them in a mirror."

"The Mirror of Erised?"

"Yeah, how do you know about it?"

"I saw it a couple of days ago. What I mean is, if you saw them standing in front of you."

"I saw them once as ghosts. It was two years ago, when I was dueling with Voldemort." Harry said and he remembered the day he and Cedric Diggory won the Triwizard Tournament, and ended up in a graveyard where Voldemort killed Cedric. "But why do you ask?"

"What color were they?" Lia ignored his question.

"Gray, as all the other ghosts." Harry replied.

Lia sighed. "I think I saw John last night near the forest."

"Did you talk to him?"

"No, he ran away."

"Ran? Ghosts don't run, they fly."

"Harry, he wasn't gray. I mean, he didn't look like a ghost at all and he looked just like John."

"But he's dead, right?"

"I saw him die! I was there." Lia's eyes filled with tears. "Harry, I don't know what to do."

Harry sat closer to her and took her into his arms. "I'll try to find out who was that man you saw. Don't cry, please."

"I'm starting to think that I'm seeing things." Lia said.

"You might have seen just a shadow there. I mean, after the dementors and all. Did you eat chocolate?"

"No, why should I?"

"Because that's what you should do after facing a dementor. I think that's the reason why you saw that man and thought that it was John, besides, you were sleeping all evening." Harry said. "That's it! You didn't eat chocolate, and that's what made you see John near the forest!"

Lia pulled back and looked at him. "Are you sure about that?"

"Of course I'm sure. I've seen dementors before. And more than once."

"You don't know how much you helped me Harry!" Lia hugged him. "Thank you so much! Now I feel a lot better."

"Hey, what are cousins for?" he said with a smile and got up. "I think I should go to my room now. It's getting late."

"Okay, good night."

"Good night." Harry said and left the room.

Lia sat there with Rex who was staring at her. "I'm fine Rex." She told him and pulled him into her lap. "I just hope that Harry said the truth."

****

O o O o O

Remus entered his room and locked the door behind him. He sat on his bed and took out the letter from his pocket and opened it.

--------------------------------

__

Dear Moony,

Just wanted to tell you that Snow White is sending me somewhere, and we won't meet for a while. I don't know for how long I am going to stay at the place she's going to send me. She said that I couldn't use owl post from there as they don't use owls. I'll see you after I return.

Take care of Harry and Lia. I hope that seeing me last night didn't frighten her.

P.S.: Don't reply to this letter, as I won't receive it.

Yours,

Padfoot

--------------------------------

"Where is she taking you?" Remus asked himself and put the letter back in his pocket. He got up and headed to Dumbledore's office.

He reached the stone gargoyle and said the password. The gargoyle moved to a side and Remus climbed the stairs and reached the office. He knocked the door and entered. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk reading a book.

"Remus, what brings you here?" he asked.

"This." Remus gave the letter to Dumbledore who read it.

"Oh, I see." Dumbledore said. "Have a seat Remus."

Remus sat on a chair in front of the desk. "Is he the one who's going to replace Wendell?"

"Yes, he is. Snow White thought that he was the best candidate, as he didn't have much to do over here."

"But what if he ruins everything there? You know how Sirius is."

"I don't think that he will cause a mess while Snow White is there with him all the time."

"But he doesn't even look like Wendell." Remus said.

"Snow White will transform him into Wendell. He will stay there until his name is cleared, and then we'll bring him back."

"Have you talked to the Ministry about this?"

"I have visited Minister Fudge a couple of days ago. He didn't like the idea, of course, but I think that he will change his mind."

"Does he know about Sirius being alive?"

"Not yet. I don't want anyone to know, yet."

"I forgot to tell you professor, that Wolf has met with Sirius when I took him to the Shrieking Shack."

"It's alright Remus. Wolf is on our side, and I'm sure he can keep a secret. He didn't tell anyone that Sirius was the one who conjured the patronus near the lake last night."

"Yeah, and I was wondering why did Virginia thank me for saving them from the dementors. I guess he didn't tell her that I'm a werewolf."

"Well, that's good to know. We don't know how will they react if they knew."

"Yes, you're right."

"And one more thing, when Sirius gets back from his mission, remind him to provide some chocolates to the people he is saving from the dementors. Thankfully, Virginia wasn't affected that much, but it seems that Lia had a trouble staying awake and she was having illusions."

"I agree with you about her sleeping, but what she saw wasn't an illusion at all." Remus said.

Dumbledore stared at him. "Remus, John is dead."

"It wasn't John, professor. Lia saw Sirius last night. The stupid foul stood there to take a look at her and she saw him. She says that she saw John, and she is wondering why he didn't look like a ghost."

"And I a trusting him a kingdom!" Dumbledore said. "I told him not to show up in front of people in his human form!"

"He said that he wanted to see how Emily's daughter looked like. And maybe he didn't think about transforming into a dog before getting closer." Remus said.

"Well, I hope that he won't have to repeat that mistake by the time he gets back." Dumbledore said.

"I hope so." Remus replied and got up. "I better get back to my room, it's late already."

"Yes, have a good night Remus."

"Thank you professor. Good night, and see you in the morning." Remus said and went to his room.


	14. King Sirius White

****

Chapter 14 - King Sirius White

Sirius was sitting alone in his room in the Shrieking Shack. He didn't have anything to do except for staring out of the window and look at the people who were walking merrily in the streets of Hogsmeade.

Snow White has visited him in the morning to tell him that he was going on a secret mission. After sending the letter to Remus, Sirius sat in his room and waited for Snow White to return.

"I hate it when they make me wait!" he said to himself.

He paced the room and couldn't find anything to distract him. At that moment a white light flashed across the room and Snow White appeared.

"There you are!" Sirius said.

"Hello again Sirius." Snow White replied with a calm smile on her face.

"May I know where am I going?"

"You are going to the Fourth Kingdom." Snow White said. "As there is no one to rule the kingdom at this moment, you are going to replace my grandson."

"And who's that?"

"King Wendell White. He is here with Wolf and Virginia. They cannot go back until they solve the mysterious problem that is threatening the Nine Kingdoms."

"And does anyone at the Fourth Kingdom knows that I'm going to replace him?" Sirius asked.

"No, and no one should ever know about it. You have to keep it a secret. I will disguise you as Wendell and you will rule the kingdom with my help until he returns."

"What about clearing my name? I don't want to stay hidden for the rest of my life!"

"Dumbledore is working on that issue. Now, I have some advises to give you regarding your new position." Sirius listened carefully as Snow White spoke. "First of all, you need to be patient. Most of the Lords in the palace might bring up some issues concerning the kingdom that would make you feel disturbed or even angry. You have to learn to deal with them, and never act, as you don't know anything about the kingdom. If you do not know how to reply to them, just ignore the question, or tell them to come back later for the reply. Act like you are going to study their request and will give them a reply in a couple of days. That's how it works, and Wendell has the habit of studying the issues carefully before making a decision. Of course, I will be by your side all the time to help you and to advice you."

"How nice of you." Sirius said with an obvious disapproval in his voice.

Snow White decided to ignore his tone and continued. "The most important thing that you will do is to gather any information you can about the Evil Queen and Voldemort. Any kind of threat in the kingdoms always has a connection with her, and since we have Lia as a key to our success, I'm sure that Voldemort is also involved."

"Whom should I be careful of?" Sirius asked.

"Anyone that you suspect and of course the trolls."

"You also have trolls?"

"Have you ever seen a magical world without trolls?"

"I guess not. Since this is the only world I know." Sirius replied. "And is there anyone who could see who I really am?"

"No one, unless it's a goblin. They are unique creatures and they have so many abilities. But don't worry, they don't live in the Fourth Kingdom."

"That's a relief."

"Now, if you're ready, we better leave now."

"One more thing, how am I supposed to inform anyone about anything?"

"I'll be there with you all the time. Also, I'll give you a communicating mirror that will allow you to speak to Dumbledore. Any more questions?"

"None at this moment."

"Good, let's go then. Hold my hand." Snow White extended her hand and Sirius held it.

Suddenly he felt strangely warm inside and it was white all around him. He felt like he was floating in the air, just as the night he fell behind the veil at the Department of Mysteries. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, he found himself standing in a huge room decorated with different paintings on the walls, and there was a big four poster bed covered with white sheets. The windows covered the walls and they showed a forest that didn't seem to have an end.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"In Wendell's room." Snow White replied.

"What should I do now?"

"Get dressed, you are about to meet Queen Red Riding Hood the third."

"What? Isn't she supposed to be a fairy tale?"

"You are in the world of fairy tales Sirius. And the red Riding Hood you know, is the grandmother of the current Red Riding Hood."

Sirius looked confused. "And what am I supposed to tell her? Why is she here?"

"A few weeks ago Wendell signed a Royal Pardon for the Wolves in his kingdom. Everyone approved except for Red. She rules the Second Kingdom and there are many full-blood wolves and half-wolves who live there. As you know from the story, the Riding Hood family never liked wolves. She tries to force them to go out of her kingdom, and the Royal Pardon has made it harder for her."

Sirius nodded, as he was lost in thought. "So, she wants Wendell to take his decision back?"

"Exactly. And I do not think that it would be a good idea to do so. The people have loved and respected Wendell, and without a Royal Pardon, the wolves would raise an alarm, and we don't want that to happen." Snow White said.

"Alright, I'll meet her now." Sirius said.

"See you soon, Your majesty." Snow White said with a smile and disappeared.

"Yeah right! I finally got rid of my mom telling me I'm royalty, and now I'm actually going to live as a king for Merlin knows how long!"

Sirius walked to the wardrobe and opened it. Most of the royal suites were in white. He searched for something else and he found a Navy colored one. He threw it on the bed and started to change his clothes.

When he walked in front of the mirror, his mouth dropped open. A man who had blond, curly hair and blue eyes was staring at him. Sirius moved his hand in front of the reflection he saw and the man waved back in the same motion, at the same time!

"This is amazing." He said. "I have changed. So, this is how Wendell looks." He smiled to himself. "Alright, Little Red Riding Hood prepare to meet the Big Bad Wolf."

He got out of the room and stopped in the corridor.

"Where am I supposed to go now?" he asked himself.

__

"Go straight, then turn right and go to the Thrown room which is on the first floor. Red Riding Hood the third is waiting for you." A sound told him in his mind. Snow White kept his mind connected to hers. She could hear whatever he said or thought and she would reply to him in his mind.

Sirius stood there in silence and shock. He walked at the direction that Snow White told him, and he finally reached the first floor. Servants bowed to him as he passed. When he finally reached the door of the Thrown room, two servants opened the doors and Sirius walked in. There he saw a woman in her late twenties standing in the middle of the room. She was wearing a red gown with red little roses on her hair, as if she was going to a ball.  
"Where were you? Do you know that I've been waiting for more than twenty minutes?" Queen Red Riding Hood the third said angrily.

"Well, someone has to be late, and I think I'm the best person who fits."

Red looked at him with suspicious eyes.

"What?" Sirius said and took a seat on the Thrown.

"I cannot believe you Wendell." Queen Red said. "You sign a Royal Pardon that is about to ruin my kingdom and here you are being late to meet me, and you think that I'll accept any kind of jokes?"

"I wasn't joking." Sirius said and that made her furious.

"I'm here to discuss this stupid pardon thing with you. I don't have much time, so I'll just tell you what I want."

"I'm all ears." Sirius said.

"Take it back."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked, although, he knew very well what she meant.

"The pardon. Cancel it." Red demanded.

__

"Don't do it." Sirius heard Snow White speaking to him again.

"I will not." Sirius replied to Red.

"Wendell, you know that wolves are dangerous creatures. They kill our kind!"

"_A wolf has saved the nine kingdoms, and her kingdom is one of those nine. Tell her about that Sirius._" Snow White said.

"I'm starting to think that you are suffering some kind of a memory loss Your Majesty." Sirius said. "I hasn't even been a month since the nine kingdoms were saved from the Evil Queen, and one of the people who saved the kingdoms is a wolf. And as a matter of fact, he was the reason that you are alive now." Sirius was speaking about things that he never knew, but the information was filling his brain as he spoke. "If he didn't change the poison for troll dust you would've been dead. He just made all of you sleep so he could trick the Evil Queen, he could've killed you if he wanted to."

Red stood there unable to answer back. All of what she heard was true. On the night of Wendell's Coronation ball the Queen Christine has ordered Wolf to prepare the champagne for the royal toast, and ordered him to prepare a poison to be added to the drink. Wolf prepared everything that he was ordered to, but instead of the poison he put troll dust; which made everyone fall asleep instantly. Queen Red Riding Hood the third was one of the guests who drank from that champagne.

"So? Did I refresh your memory?" Sirius asked.

Queen Red looked puzzled. "I…"

"You know that I'm right, so why don't you admit it?" Sirius asked.

Queen Red put her hands on her waist. "I still demand that you change your decision. One of them has saved the kingdoms, but not all of them are like him."

"Are all the humans, or should I name them… _our kind_ all innocent and good people?"

"No." Queen Red replied carefully.

"So you admit that I'm right."

"I didn't say anything about that."

"You have just admitted that not all of _our kind_ are innocent. We also have some evil in us. Have you checked on the wolf families for once in your life? Do you know if they are good or bad? Besides, don't forget that most of them are half-breed, which means they belong to _our kind_ too."

Queen Red thought for a moment. "Alright Wendell. I am not signing any similar pardon and I don't want our kingdoms to have any kind of relations with each other anymore. See you at the Council meeting." She said and left the Thrown room.

"Have a nice… day?" Sirius said and waved his hand. He sighed and got up. "What a horrible start of a day."

"_You will get used to this kind of meetings._" Snow White told him.

"Will you please stop talking in my head?" Sirius said, looking around the room. "I can't talk to myself like this, please appear in front of me."

A white light flashed around the room and Snow White appeared. "Is this better?" she asked.

"A lot. Thank you." Sirius replied.

"I can't stay for long, though. Lord Rupert is on his way."

"Who's that?"

"Your Chancellor."

"Oh." Sirius nodded.

"He's even worse than Queen Red." Snow White said and disappeared.

"Not again!" Sirius shouted.

"Your Majesty!" Lord Rupert entered the room, with an obvious panic on his face.

Sirius turned to him. "Yes?"

"I just saw Queen Riding Hood leave the palace, and she seemed to be angry. I hope that she will come back tomorrow."

"And why would she do that?"

Lord Rupert's face turned pale. "Oh my goodness. You don't even remember?" he put his hand on his heart, looking shocked.

"Remember what?"

"It's your birthday tomorrow!"

It was Sirius' turned to turn pale. "What?!"

"It's your birthday Your Highness." Lord Rupert said and some color came back to his face.

"Oh, yeah… that… I remember. Of course." Sirius said, unsure about how to react. Snow White didn't tell him about that one.

"I've sent invitations to all the kingdoms and received a reply from Queen Cinderella and Princess Leaf Fall. They will attend the ball tomorrow."

"A ball?! You don't expect me to go to a ball!"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Lord Rupert replied. "I have been preparing this event for three weeks now! Everything is almost ready. The ball will begin at eight o'clock in the evening."

"Alright. I will be in my room if you need me." Sirius said and walked to the door. "And try not to need me until the ball begins." He added and walked out of the Thrown room. He cursed under his nose and headed to Wendell's room. As soon as he entered he saw Snow White waiting for him over there.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"About Wendell's birthday? Well, he never liked it either. Therefore, I thought that it would be best not to remind you of this event. Because no matter how Wendell thinks, Lord Rupert prepares a ball for him every year."

"He sure is annoying."

"You haven't seen anything yet. Have you been to the ball room?"

"No. Should I?"

"Only if you don't want to be shocked tomorrow evening." Snow White smiled. "Now, I wanted to tell you that I have been feeling a new source of evil magic in the kingdoms, and it comes from far away, possibly from your world. I highly recommend that you remember every detail you can about any suspicious thing you notice. And here's the mirror that I promised you." She gave him a small mirror. "Whenever you have something to report, just ask the mirror to show you Dumbledore. He will know that you want to speak with him."

"Okay." Sirius took the mirror and sat on the bed. "What am I supposed to do next?"

"Enjoy your evening." Snow White said merrily and disappeared.

"This is just perfect." Sirius said and sighed. He never thought about himself as a king, and he was already tired of this new position. "First, I'm a murderer and now I'm a king!" He put the mirror on a small table that was near the bed.

It was dark already. Sirius changed his clothes and went to bed. He stared at the ceiling for a while until he fell asleep.

****

O o O o O

At the time Lia was turning in her bed. She couldn't sleep. She felt that something was wrong and her scar was burning. No one knew what was happening deep in the swamp of the Seventh Kingdom.

Acorn the dwarf was preparing his dinner when he heard a knock on the door. He was surprised. No one came to visit him in there. So, he got up and opened the door without even asking.

A black hooded man was standing there, his face covered, but Acorn could tell that he was in trouble. The man's while skully chin appeared from under the hood and Acorn took a step back.

"Who are you?" he asked in a shaky voice.

"I'm your worst nightmare." The man replied and raised his wand and pointed it at Acorn. "Avada Kedavra!"


	15. Dream And Protect

****

Replies to reviewers:

Miss Piratess: Thanks for your reviews! You made my day!! And Sorry for killing Acorn. You know how Voldemort is. Can't do anything about that.

**Bella Catherina:** Thank you :)

**The Lord Of pencil:** Thanks. Sirius will be back soon!

**Timra:** I won't promise anything, but stay tuned! ;)

Chapter 15 - Dream and Protect

Harry woke up at 3 AM breathing hard. His scar burnt and he was sweating. He saw Voldemort killing a dwarf at a strange place. He reached for his glasses and got out of bed. He felt dizzy when he stood up, because of the pain that the scar was causing. Voldemort was planning something. Harry knew that, but he wished to know what the plan was.

Harry walked out of his dormitory and went to the common room. It was dark and the only source of light was the fire sparks. He sat on a couch in front of the fireplace and stared at it. Suddenly, he remembered that Lia must've seen the same dream. He quickly got up and rushed out of the common room through the portrait hole.

Harry walked through the dark corridors, not daring to light his wand. When he reached Lia's room, he knocked and waited.

Lia heard the door knock and got up. "Who is it?" she asked.

"It's me, Harry." Harry replied.

With a wave of her hand the door was opened. "Come in." she said.

Harry entered and closed the door behind him. Lia was sitting in her bed waiting for an explanation.

"Sorry to wake you up." Harry said.

"It's okay, I was sleeping anyway, but why are you here?"

Harry sat next to her on the bed. "I just saw a dream and I was wondering if you saw it too. Voldemort killed a dwarf."

"I didn't see anything, but my scar burnt." Lia replied.

"Do you think we should tell Dumbledore?"

"I think we should, but not now. We'll tell him in the morning."

"Alright. Er… Are you feeling alright?" Harry asked. "I mean, your scar burnt, and I don't want you to faint or something."

"Don't worry. I'm fine." Lia said with a smile.

"Okay, I better go back to my room then." Harry said and got up.

"Would you stay here?" Lia asked.

"Excuse me?" Harry turned back to her.

"Stay here tonight. Well, it's just a couple of hours till dawn. You can sleep on my bed."

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, after all, we are cousins and cousins go to each other's houses to spend the night. I think we can go to each other's rooms for a change. Besides, my bed is so huge for me to sleep alone." Lia smiled at him.

Harry smiled back. "Alright, I'll stay."

"Cool!" Lia said and removed the covers to open a space for Harry to sleep.

He got into the bed and lay down. Lia pulled the covers on him in a motherly way and kissed his forehead.

"Good night, and sweet dreams." She said.

"I hope they'd be sweet." Harry said. "Good night."

Lia lay back in her side of the bed and closed her eyes. She was wondering why couldn't she see the dream, although she felt that there was something wrong.

Next morning, Harry opened his eyes to see Lia sleeping next to him. He smiled and slowly got out of the bed, trying his best not to wake her up. As he reached the door, Lia woke up.

"Morning." She said in a sleepy voice.

"Morning. Didn't mean to wake you." Harry replied.

"You didn't. What time is it anyway?"

"Half past seven. Are you coming for breakfast?"

Lia sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Yeah. And we have to see Dumbledore too."

"When's your first class today?"

"At ten. It's Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Is Remus going to teach you?"

"Yes. And I think I can be late for his class for a couple of minutes." Lia smiled.

"I guess so. I'll see you at the Great Hall. I'll just go to my dormitory to get dressed."

"Alright, see you at breakfast."

Harry left the room and Lia got up to get dressed. She covered her bed and went to the bathroom. After that she opened her wardrobe and took out a pair of blue jeans and a white top. She put them on and pulled her hair in a ponytail. She took her black robe and her bag and left the room.

When she walked out she closed the door and saw Remus getting out of his room.

"Good morning Lia." Remus said.

"Good morning professor." She said with a smile.

"You don't have to call me that, you know." He said as they walked to the stairs.

"I know. But it suits you."

"I wish everyone else thought the same."

"I'm sure they will someday."

"So, our class is at ten."

"Yeah, and I wanted to tell you that I might be a little bit late." Lia said.

"Why?"

"Harry has seen a dream last night. It was Voldemort. He killed someone."

"Did you see it too?" Remus asked, looking concerned.

"No. But my scar burnt. And Harry came to me last night, he told me about it, and we decided to tell Dumbledore."

"Good choice. You don't have to come to class today if you're going to see Dumbledore."

"We'll go and see him right after breakfast, and as soon as we finish with him, I'll come to the classroom. I don't want to miss my first class with you." Lia said with a smile. "Since I came here, I wondered how would you look like in the role of a teacher. And I won't miss that opportunity."

"Oh, I see." Remus blushed.

They entered the Great Hall to see Harry sitting there with Tony and Wendell.

"Good morning everyone." Remus said as he took a seat next to Tony.

"Good morning." Lia said and sat next to Harry.

"Good morning, how did you sleep?" Tony asked them.

"Pretty well, thank you." Remus replied.

Tony smiled. "I wouldn't say the same for Wendell."

"Anthony!" Wendell said and blushed.

"What's the matter?" Lia asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, Wendell here doesn't want to say it, but…" Tony said.

"Anthony, please." Wendell interrupted him.

"But what?" Harry said.

"It's his birthday today." Tony continued.

"Anthony! I asked you not to tell anyone!" Wendell said.

"Why not?" Tony said.

"Yeah, why not? I think it's great! Happy Birthday Your Majesty." Lia said and got up and gave Wendell a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you." Wendell said, turning pink.

"Happy Birthday Your Majesty!" Harry and Remus said together.

"Thank you. I didn't want anyone to know because it's not so important."

"How couldn't it be so important?" Tony said. "It's the first time that I am going to celebrate your birthday!"

"Anthony, you're acting just like my father." Wendell said.

"Well, I guess I'd be at the same age as him. Besides, I was like your guardian since the first time we met at the Central Park!"

"Yes, and thanks for reminding me." Wendell didn't like to remember those times. The Evil Queen has transformed him into a dog, and he was going to live the rest of his life as a dog if it wasn't for Tony, Wolf and Virginia. They helped him get back to his castle and they helped him get his human form back. And they helped in saving the nine kingdoms from the hands of the Evil Queen.

After they finished breakfast, Harry and Lia went to see Dumbledore. The reached the stone gargoyle and said the password. But it didn't move.

"They've changed the password!" Harry said. "Now we have to wait until he comes out!"

"This is stupid!" Lia said and waved her hand at the gargoyle, and suddenly it moved to a side. Lia stared at it with an opened mouth.

"How did you do that?" Harry asked excitedly.

"I… I really don't know. I just waved my hand." Lia replied.

"We'll talk about this later. Now let's go to the office." Harry said.

They climbed the stairs and reached the office door. Harry knocked and opened the door.

"Professor?"

"Harry! Come in." Dumbledore said.

Harry and Lia entered the office and Harry closed the door after him.

"Who told you the new password?" Dumbledore asked them.

"No one Sir. Lia just waved her hand at the gargoyle and it moved to a side."

"I knew that your abilities would start to show." Dumbledore said and smiled at Lia.

"You knew that she can do wandless magic?" Harry asked.

"Of course Harry. Professor McGonagall's magic quill writes down every information about the students."

"How come I don't know anything about my abilities?" Lia asked.

"Well, you're here to learn about them." Dumbledore said. "No one is aware of what they can do until they start studying at Hogwarts. I will teach you everything you need to know about wandless magic so you won't be confused about it."

"Professor, we have something to say." Harry said.

"Yes Harry, I'm listening." Dumbledore said.

"I saw a dream last night. Voldemort killed someone. He was a dwarf, and he lived in a cottage in the middle of a strange green place."

"Miss Jones, did you see the same dream?" Dumbledore asked.

"No. But I couldn't sleep last night."

"Your scar?" Dumbledore asked and Lia nodded. "I see. Well, since we don't know whom he killed we have to wait. And you both are going to start occlumency."

"Not again!" Harry said.

"Don't worry Harry. I'll teach you, and Professor Snape will teach Miss Jones."

Harry looked at Lia with I-feel-really-sorry-for-you look. However, Lia didn't seem to care. Snape was nice to her during their last class together.

"Alright, if you don't have anything else to say." Dumbledore said.

"Professor, can Ron come and stay here? Please?" Harry asked suddenly.

Dumbledore thought for a moment. "You know that students shouldn't stay at Hogwarts during the summer holidays. But since I know you both, I think it's fine if he comes."

Harry smiled. "Thank you Professor! I'll go and send him an owl now."

"Your occlumency class will start today at five. And Miss Jones, Professor Snape will inform you about your Occlumency lessons." Dumbledore said.

"Alright Professor." Harry said and got up. "See you at five."

"Thank you Professor, and bye." Lia said and she followed Harry out of Dumbledore's office.

"What's Occlumency?" Lia asked as she walked out of the office with Harry.

"Some complicated thing. You'll be able to keep Voldemort away from your mind." Harry said.

"Oh, that's good to know… I guess."

"Somehow, yes."

"But we won't be able to see who's going to be next." Lia said.

"That's exactly what Dumbledore wants." Harry stopped and looked to the ground. "Voldemort tricked me like that. And I thought he had Sirius. I went to help him, but instead he got killed. And it's all my fault."

Lia saw a single tear scroll down on Harry's cheek. She took him in her arms and stroke his hair. "It's okay Harry. I know how you feel. I'm sure Sirius knows that you wanted to help him."

It was the first time that someone didn't tell Harry that it's not his fault and that made him feel better. Someone finally understood him.

"Thanks." Harry said as he hugged Lia tighter.

Lia smiled. "You're welcome. But why are you thanking me?"

"You're the first one who didn't say that it wasn't my fault. I appreciate it."

"Well… I don't know what else to say." Lia pulled back and looked into his eyes. "You didn't know that it was a trick. You wanted to help, but you didn't tell anyone. And there's your fault. You should've told someone."

"I know."

"But we can't turn back time, so there's nothing we can do. I always wish to see my mother and John, but it's impossible. So, I'm satisfied with seeing them in my dreams."

"I know how you feel. I wish I could see my parents, and now, Sirius too." Harry said.

"Maybe someday you'll get a chance to see them." Lia said. "I know I'll see John."

"You're going to daydream about John now? You should go to class." Harry said with a smile.

"You're right. I'll leave my fantasies for bed time." Lia replied. "Wanna come with me to Remus' class?"

"Sure! He's always interesting."

They both went to meet Remus in his classroom. Remus was not surprised to see Harry coming with Lia. He knew that Defense Against the Dark Arts was Harry's favorite subject at school.

"Hello you two." Remus said.

"Hi Professor!" Lia replied happily.

"What should I do to convince you not to call me that?" Remus asked.

"Hmm…" Lia made a look as she was thinking. "Nothing?"

Harry laughed. "Good idea."

"Oh, and you're supporting her!" Remus turned to Harry.

"Of course he supports me. I'm his cousin!" Lia said with a smile.

"Alright, I surrender." Remus held his hands up. "Let's start our first lesson. Harry, I hope this won't be boring for you."

"No Sir. I always enjoy your classes." Harry said.

"Good. Now, Defense Against the Dark Arts is about self protection and protecting your friends or anyone in need." Remus started.

Lia listened to Remus carefully and took notes. Harry looked at her while she was deep into writing. He remembered how he was at his first Defense Against the Dark Arts class. At that time he wasn't interested as much as he was since the first time Remus has started to teach. Since then, his interest in that subject started to grow, and now he wanted to be an Auror.

"And since you're an adult," Remus said, addressing Lia. "We will start from self protection. Is your wand with you?"

"Yeah." Lia said and took out her wand.

"Alright, now me and Harry will demonstrate the charm and then you'll try it too." Remus said. "Harry, will you stand in front of me?"

Harry took out his wand and stood in front of Remus.

"Alright, try anything." Remus said.

Harry held his want and pointed it at Remus. "Stupefy!"

"Protego!" Remus shouted and a silvery shield formed in front of him, which made Harry's stunning spell lose its strength.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Protego!"

"Petrificus Totalus!"

"Protego!" Remus shouted and the spell didn't hit him as well. "That would be enough Harry."

Harry sat back in his seat.

"It's not hard to do it, but you need to concentrate." Remus said. "Now it's your turn Lia."

"Alright." Lia stood in front of Remus.  
"Now, you need to work quickly. The incantation is 'Protego'." Remus said.

"Protego." Lia repeated.

"Good. Now, let's start. Stupefy!"

"Protego!" Lia said but the spell hit her. She fell on the ground, her body rigid.

"Merlin's beard!" Remus said. "Ennervate!"

Lia got up. "What the hell was that?!"

"A stunning spell. Sorry." Remus said.

"Don't worry. Let's try again."

"Alright, remember to concentrate. Stupefy!"

"Protego!" Lia shouted and a golden shield formed in front of her. This time, the spell missed her.

"Good work!" Remus said. "Once again, Petrificus Totalus!"

"Protego!" the shield appeared again.

"Very good! I would give you ten points for that, but unfortunately you're not sorted yet."

"I can wait." Lia smiled and winked at him.

Lia kept training for about half an hour with Remus and Harry until she mastered the protection charm completely.

"That would be enough for today." Remus said. "No homework for now, and for the next lesson we'll study a few spells at once. We need you to be ready to give your O.W.L.s at the end of August."

"I'll do my best." Lia said.

"When am I going to get my results?" Harry asked.

"Professor McGonagall will send an owl to all of your classmates during August. I guess she'll tell you your results in person when the time comes."

"I hope I did well."

"I'm sure you did Harry." Remus said.

"Alright, I better go now or I'll be late for Herbology." Lia said.

"Let's go then." Harry said and they all left the classroom.

"See you at lunch!" Remus said and headed to his room.

"Bye!" Lia waved at him and suddenly a portrait fell from the wall and hit Remus.

"Oh God! Remus are you okay?" Lia said and ran to him.

"I guess I'm fine." Remus said and stood up. "How did that happen?"

"It's my fault. I waved my hand and the portrait hit you. I'm sorry." Lia said.

"Looks like you really need to see professor Dumbledore again." Harry said.

"I'm sure he'll teach you how to control your powers." Remus said, rubbing his head.

"I'll go and see him after Herbology. Don't expect me for lunch." Lia said. "I'm sorry Remus, I didn't mean to."

"It's alright. Now go to your class, or you'll be late." Remus said with a smile.

"Okay, see you." Lia said and walked away.

"Did it really hurt?" Harry asked.

"If such a huge portrait fell on you out of no where, do you think it would hurt?" Remus asked.

"I guess it would." Harry looked at Remus with you-better-go-and-see-a-doctor look and then added. "I better go to Hagrid's now. See ya!"

"Say hello to Hagrid for me." Remus said.

"I will." Harry replied and walked away. He wanted to tell Hagrid that he was going to invite Ron to come and spend the rest of the summer holidays here at Hogwarts.


	16. Happy Birthday Wendie!

****

Miss Piratess: She didn't mean to... Remember, she doesn't know how to control her abilities yet ;)

**The Lord Of pencil: **They will come as soon as the term begins :)

Thanks for the reviews!!

****

Chapter 16 - Happy Birthday Wendie!

Rex ran happily to greet Harry as he approached Hagrid's Hut. Harry patted the dog and smiled.

"Hello Rex. Having fun today?"

Rex replied with a bark as he waved his tail excitedly. Harry saw Hagrid coming from the back of his cottage.

"Hi Hagrid!"

"'ello, 'aryy! Where've yeh been?" Hagrid said.

"I was busy showing Lia around."

"O' I see. Yeh wan' cuppa tea?" Hagrid asked and walked to his cottage.

Harry followed Hagrid inside the cottage and sat on the huge couch.

"Yeh comin' ter Wendell's birthday party?" Hagrid asked as he poured some tea in two big mugs.

"A birthday party?" Harry asked.

"Wolf wan's it ter be a surprise. 't's gonna be in the Grea' Hall." Hagrid said and gave Harry a mug.

"Oh, I guess I'll come. Any specific time?"

"At eigh'"

"I'll be there. Oh, I almost forgot. I'm writing to Ron that he can come and stay here for the rest of the summer." Harry said.

"Tha's won'erful! I a'ready miss him an' Hermi'ne. Yeh heard from her?"

"She's on a trip with her parents. She'll be back at the end of August. We might meet at Diagon Alley."

Wolf and Virginia were working on their surprise party plan in their room. They didn't go to the Great Hall for breakfast, and since Wolf can't live without filling his stomach, they asked Dobby to bring their breakfast to their room. Dobby didn't complain of course. He brought them breakfast and wished them a wonderful and a romantic day.

"This elf is so nice." Virginia said.

"Yeah, especially when it has to do with bringing food." Wolf said as he took a bite of a chicken leg.

Virginia smiled at him lovingly. "So, what else should we do? Dumbledore said that he will do the decoration, McGonagall will be responsible for the food."

"We need to tell everyone to be at the Great Hall before eight. And make sure that Wendie doesn't hear anything."

"Okay, Dumbledore, McGonagall and Hagrid already know. We still have to tell Remus, dad, professors Sprout, Flitwick and Snape. Oh, and should we invite that ghost teacher?"

"Maybe, I don't know. But since he's a teacher, I guess it would be a nice thing to do. I think we should invite everyone that's in the castle." Wolf said.

"Okay, and there's Harry and Lia. Did I miss anyone?"

"Wendell."

"Oh yeah, but what should I tell him?" Virginia asked.

"Just tell him that dinner is at eight. We don't want him to know that we're planing something."

"Okay, I'll go now and tell everyone about this."

"I'm coming too." Wolf said and they both left their room and went to invite everyone.

Wendell was sitting in front of the fireplace reading a book. Virginia and Wolf came to the common room and saw him.

"Hi Wendie!" Wolf said and headed to the portrait hole.

"Hi Wendell." Virginia said and followed Wolf.

"Hello." Wendell replied and looked at them as they left the common room. "Why didn't they say anything?" he said to himself and shrugged. "Oh well, maybe they don't know about today." He continued reading his book.

Wolf and Virginia invited everyone in the castle to Wendell's surprise party and asked them not to tell him anything. Dumbledore was excited about the idea of having a birthday party. He wished it was his birthday, but he knew that he was old for these things.

****

O o O o O

Sirius was having a difficult time while Lord Rupert was around. He kept telling him what to wear and kept changing Sirius' outfit every time Sirius tried something on.

"Your Majesty, this is too dark. You need something lighter." Lord Rupert said.

"I like black!" Sirius said.

"But it doesn't fit with your name! And the decorations are in light blue and white. I suggest that you wear your…"

"I am wearing black! My name doesn't have anything to do with colors!"

"It has!" Rupert gasped. "You're a member of the White family!"

"I'm n…" Sirius paused for a moment. He was a Black, but Wendell was a White, and that's what Lord Rupert meant. "Oh alright! You win! But I'm not wearing blue. I'll wear my white suit." He said finally.

Lord Rupert's smile went ear-to-ear. Everything was going to be as he planned. The guests were arriving already and the king should be down at the Ball Room to meet them.

"I will go downstairs now Your Highness. Please don't be late."

"I won't. Just get out of here!" Sirius said.

Lord Rupert left the room and Sirius sighed. He looked at his reflection in a mirror only to see Wendell staring back at him.

"Why did I get myself into this?" he asked himself.

"Because you're too kind and noble." Snow White said as she appeared behind him.

"I never thought that I was noble. In fact, no one did! Not even my friends!"

"Well, they didn't see the grown up Sirius." Snow White said.

"I'm not sure I can make it through this stupid ball."

"You'll do fine. And by the way, only Cinderella knows who you are."

"How come?" Sirius was surprised.

"Because she's Wendell's grandmother too, and I can't keep anything secret from her, especially if it concerns Wendell."

"Well, at least I'll feel comfortable around her."

"I'm sure you will. Just be careful not to tell anyone else about who you are."

"Alright." Sirius said and Snow White disappeared again.

He got up and took a last look at himself in the mirror. He adjusted his sword that was hanging from one side and then he walked out of the room.

"This is stupid!" he muttered to himself as he walked to the Ball Room.

Lord Rupert was there to meet him. "Your Majesty, please wait until I announce your arrival."

"Do you have to do that?"

"Of course!" Lord Rupert adjusted his purple suit and walked down the stairs that led to the Ball Room and stood at the middle of it. "May I have your attention please?" he started and everyone in the room looked at him in silence. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Kings and Queens, Prince and Princesses will you please welcome the man of the hour, King Wendell Winston Walter White!"

Sirius sighed and all the guests started to clap as he walked down the stairs, trying his best to smile at them. He was nervous, and his hands were sweating. He greeted everyone with a nod, and went to sit on the Throne chair.

"Please let this end quickly." He whispered to himself and looked around at the guests. There were different kinds of people. Humans (normal and dwarves), elves and fairies. One of the humans caught his attention. He was naked! Sirius' mouth dropped open at the sight, but Snow White's voice brought him back.

"_He's the Naked Emperor's great grandson._" She said.

"_That stupid git who thought that his clothes are made from special fabrics? And they still believe in such thing?_" Sirius thought to himself.

A woman walked close to him accompanied with her two maids. She looked beautiful as a twenty year old girl.

"Hello Sirius." She said in a whisper.

"How did you know who I am?" Sirius asked.

"Snow White told me." She smiled.

"You're Cinderella?"

"Yes."

"Wow! How come you never grow up? I mean… you look beautiful!" he said and blushed.

"Don't make the looks trick you child, I'm 200 years old now." Cinderella said.

"Blimey! And you still look like a twenty year old."

"Well, that's my secret." She smiled.

Everyone knew that Cinderella did magical surgery from time to time to keep her young look. But she always said that she just never got old and that's why she is still looking young. No one believed her, but they didn't argue with her about it either. She was a queen after all.

Sirius got up from his seat. "Would you honor me with this dance Your Majesty?" he said and bowed.

"Of course." Cinderella said and took his hand.

They danced together and after the song finished, Sirius escorted Cinderella to her seat. Then he danced with others too. He started to feel comfortable about being around this amount of royalties, as he was supposed to be one himself.

One woman caught his attention. Queen Red Riding Hood 3rd was there. She was talking to the elf queen. Sirius walked to her and bowed when she turned to face him.

"I'm glad that you came." He said with a smile.

"Happy Birthday Wendell." Queen Red said.

"Thank you. May I ask you for a dance?" he asked.

Queen Red rolled her eyes. "Alright, but just one dance."

"You got it." Sirius said as he held up his arm and Queen Red took it.

They walked to the center of the dance floor and danced.

"_She looks beautiful._" Sirius thought.

"_Don't even think about it._" Snow White's voice came.

"_I wasn't thinking anything. I just said that she's beautiful._"

"_Just to let you know, Red isn't Wendell's type of woman. So, don't try and mess with his personal life._" Snow White said.

"_Alright grandma. I'll be careful._"

The ball continued until midnight, and it was time for the guests to leave. Sirius stood at the entrance and thanked each one for coming. Cinderella decided to stay.

"I'm staying here tonight." She said.

"Sure, no problem."

She raise an eyebrow. "And Snow said that you can really act like him. Wendell would never reply back as you did." She whispered to him.

"Well, I'm not him after all. But I'm doing my best." He smiled and winked at her.

"I'll see you in the morning. Good night Wendell." Cinderella said and walked out of the room accompanied by her maids.

"Good night." Sirius replied and went to his room.

"I hope I wouldn't stay for a year to witness another birthday party!" he said as he lay on the bed, tired and feeling sleepy.

****

O o O o O

Wolf was excited. He pushed everyone inside the Great Hall and made sure that Wendell wouldn't show up before the mentioned time. As the last guest entered, which happened to be Severus Snape, Wolf closed the door and turned to everyone.

"Now, when he comes in we all are going to shout surprise, okay?" he asked them and they nodded. "Now, did anyone see him?"

"He was at the fourth floor walking in the corridors." Harry said. "He said that he was about to come here."

"Good. Now, get ready everyone! He might enter at any minute now."

The door opened and everyone shouted "SURPRISE!" but to their disappointment it was Tony.

"Sorry I'm late!" he said and closed the door after him.

"Try to be here in time Tony!" Wolf said.

"Shut up Wolf." Tony snapped and Wolf growled.

At that moment the door opened slowly and Wendell walked in.

"SURPRISE!!!" everyone shouted and with a wave of Dumbledore's hand little fireworks started in the air and the hall was filled with colorful little papers falling from the sky.

Wendell stood there, surprised by the event. Everyone came close to him and hugged him to wish him a happy birthday. He thanked them all.

"You didn't have to do this." He said.

"This is our present to you for the first birthday you spend it with us." Virginia said.

"That's so sweet of you Virginia. Thank you very much." Wendell gave her a hug.

"Happy Birthday Wendie!" Wolf said and gave Wendell a wolfish hug.

"Thank you Wolf." Wendell said as he tried to catch his breath. "Wolf, I can't breathe!"

"Cripes! Sorry." Wolf said and pulled back.

"No problem. Just try not to suffocate me for the next time."

"I'll keep that in mind." Wolf grinned.

They all sat around the large wooden table. Professor McGonagall waved her wand and the table was full of different types of food. And of course, there was a huge cake in the middle, which had a fountain at the top of it and water ran down magically without actually wetting the cake.

"I can get used to this!" Wolf said happily as he helped himself with roast meat.

Music started and everyone got up to dance. Wolf invited Virginia to the dance floor, Harry was with Lia, Professor Dumbledore invited Professor McGonagall, and Remus invited Madam Hooch.

Everyone seemed happy. Wendell was speaking to Tony and at that moment the music changed into a slow one.

Lia thanked Harry for the dance and she went to Wendell.

"May I ask the man of the day to honor me with a dance?" she asked.

Wendell blushed. "I think I was supposed to ask first."

"Well, time changes." Lia said with a smile.

Wendell got up and escorted Lia to the dance floor. They danced together and now, all eyes were on them. Dumbledore changed the lights in the hall into darker and it gave the Great Hall a cozy look.

"It's really amazing how they do that." Lia said, looking at the ceiling.

"And you're lucky that you're learning these stuff." Wendell replied.

"I guess so."

"I wonder what is going on at my palace now." Wendell said.

"They don't know you're here, right?"

"No, but Snow White said that she has sent someone to replace me."

"Well, let's just hope that he wouldn't ruin anything until you return." Lia said with a smile.

As the song ended Wendell bowed and held Lia's hand, and they walked to the table together.

"You look great together!" Wolf said and that made Lia blush slightly.

"Shut up Wolf!" Wendell said.

"Hey! What did I do?"

"Wolf, honey, try to keep your opinions to yourself sometimes." Virginia whispered to him.

Hagrid came holding a little box in his hands. He stood next to Wendell.

"Yer Majesty, this is a small presen'. I hope yeh like it." he said.

"Thank you Hagrid." Wendell said with a smile. "You didn't have to."

"Nah, I wan'ed ter give yeh summat." Hagrid said.

Wendell opened the box and saw a wizard chess set. "This is wonderful. Thank you Hagrid. I really like it."

"Yer welcome." Hagrid said with a blush.

Harry gave Wendell a book about Quidditch; Remus gave him another little box.

"This is from all the teachers." He said.

Wendell opened the box and saw a golden watch. It wasn't a normal watch. Instead of the numbers there were different signs.

"It shows your mood at the moment, and it would tell you if you're in danger. It can help you to choose between good or bad when you can't decide." Remus said.

"Thank you so much. I'm really happy to be here with you on this day." Wendell said and put the watch on his wrist. The center of the watch showed a text, which read: "_Happy_".

The party continued and everyone was having fun. When it was midnight, they started to go to their rooms one after another. Professor Dumbledore called Wendell to a side.

"Wendell, will you come to my office?" he asked.

"Sure professor." Wendell said and followed Dumbledore to his office.

As they entered, Dumbledore motioned to Wendell to sit, and he opened his wardrobe and took out a pensive and a wand.

"Wendell, I'd like to give you this." Dumbledore said as he put the pensive on the desk.

"What's that?" Wendell asked.

"It's called a pensive. It's similar to a diary, but instead of writing in it, you take your thoughts out of your memory and put it in the pensive with a wand. And this is going to be your wand."

Wendell took the wand and looked at it.

"It's made of willow and contains a single hair of a unicorn tail. Nine and a half inches. I ordered it especially for you. You can't do magic with it. It's made only to be used with this pensive. All you need to do is to put the tip of the wand on your forehead and then point it at the pensive."

"Thank you professor. I don't know what to say." Wendell said.

"You don't need to say anything Wendell. This is the least I can do for the grandchild of my best friend." Dumbledore smiled. "Use it wisely."

"I will." Wendell replied. "Thanks again. I think I should go to sleep now. This party took all my strength."

"I know what you mean. I'm tired myself. See you tomorrow."

"Good night professor." Wendell said and took his pensive and wand and went to his common room.

Everyone was asleep already. He went to his room and placed the pensive and the wand on the desk. Then he changed his clothes and went to bed.


	17. The Spell Begins

****

Miss Piratess: Thanks :) and it's not only you, just wait and see :) winks

****

The Lord Of pencil: Thanks! He's wonderful! And a couple of days and he'll be back!!

****

Chapter 17 - The Spell Begins

Voldemort entered the small cottage, Wormtail following him closely.

"M-master, a-are you sure t-this is the place?" Wormtail asked.

"Yes Wormtail." Voldemort hissed. "She's in the basement. Wait here."

"Yes master." Wormtail bowed.

Voldemort opened the doors that led to the basement of the cottage. It was a small place; covered with thick cobwebs and the walls have turned green during years. A black old coffin lay in the middle of the room. In it lay a skeleton of a woman, which was also covered with dust and cobwebs.

"Voldemort." The skeleton hissed. "Come to me my friend."

"Hello Isabel." Voldemort said and stepped closer to the coffin. "It's been a long time since the last time we met."

"Forty years only, but it seems like four hundred."

"Yes. How have you been?" Voldemort asked.

"Lying here helpless after that stupid Christine failed to assist me."

"Yes, I heard about her. Now, why did you call me?"

"I have new plans for taking over the kingdoms and I need your help."

"Anything for the sake of evil." Voldemort hissed.

"I want to get rid of the House of White. And of course, their supporters. Mainly, a girl named Virginia. She was the reason why Christine failed."

"I will find her. Don't worry. And as a symbol of our friendship, I will brew a potion to bring you back to life."

"I have been waiting for that Voldemort."

"Don't worry Isabel. It might take a while, but I will make it for you. I will go now to plan my next step."

"Beware of the witch." The skeleton of the Swamp witch hissed and silence fell in the room.

Voldemort looked at her and then he went back upstairs.

"H-how did it go Master?" Wormtail said as he jumped to his feet at the sight of Voldemort.

"Everything is fine. Our time shall come sooner than we expect." He laughed loudly.

****

O o O o O

Lia woke up early in the morning. She took a shower and got dressed, then she sat near her desk and did some of her homework. Suddenly, a brown owl came inside her room and dropped a letter in front of her.

Lia opened the parchment. It was from Dumbledore.

----------------------------

__

Dear Miss Jones,

Please come to my office after breakfast.

Albus Dumbledore

----------------------------

"I wonder what he wants." Lia said to herself. She folded the parchment and put it in one of the drawers.

Another owl came. This one was black. It had a parchment attached to its leg. It landed on Lia's desk and waited for her to take the parchment.

"Where did you come from?" She asked the owl and took the parchment. The owl flew out of the window.

Lia opened the parchment. It had stains of ink on it, and it seemed that the writer's hand was shaking while writing the letter.

----------------------------

__

Dear Lia,

Please meet me near the lake tonight at ten o'clock. I really need to see you. I have something to give you from your mother.

P.S.: Please don't tell anyone about this, especially the headmaster.

Sincerely,

An admirer

----------------------------

Lia felt her heart sink, and her scar chose that moment to sting. Lia didn't know what to think about this letter.

"Why shouldn't I tell anyone about this? Why not Dumbledore? Who is this admirer? Oh shit!" her heart started to hurt again and she couldn't breath. She threw the parchment on the table and went to lie on her bed. Her breathing got heavier until she felt the room spin around her. She closed her eyes and tried to think about something that she really hates.

Two images came into her mind. One was a black hooded man with a skully chin appearing under the hood, and the other was a werewolf. The one that she saw on the full moon night.

Eventually, her breathing was back to normal, but her scar kept stinging. She curled in her bed and tried to go back to sleep. She decided that she wouldn't go anywhere today.

She waved her hand at the door and it locked itself. She didn't want to see anyone. She needed time to think about the last letter. If the person who sent it was someone she or her mother knew, why didn't he introduce himself?

****

O o O o O

Everyone was at the Great Hall having breakfast. Harry looked at the door every time it was opened to see if it was Lia. But, she didn't come to breakfast.

"Harry, have you seen Lia this morning?" Virginia asked.

"No. I thought she might come, but it seems that something is wrong." Harry replied.

"Did anyone check her room?"

"Maybe she's still asleep." Remus said.

"She never slept this long." Harry said.

"Well, maybe she's tired from last night." Virginia said.

"Huff-puff! If I was her I would definitely be tired! She danced all night!" Wolf said.

"Why aren't we tired then?" Virginia asked.

"Honey, she has a sick heart, remember?" Wolf said.

"She doesn't have a sick heart. It's just her scar that's giving her problems." Harry said.

"I'll go and see if she's in her room." Remus said and got up.

He went straight to Lia's room and knocked the door.

"Lia? Are you in there?" he asked and knocked again, but there was no answer. "Lia, it's me Remus, if you're awake, please open the door or say something."

"I'm fine, I just need to be alone." Lia replied from inside.

Remus could hear a strange tone in her voice. She was concerned… or scared. He couldn't tell. He just knew that something was wrong.

"Lia, will you please open the door?" he asked again.

"Remus, I really need to be alone. Please!" she replied.

Remus sighed and walked away. He went back to the Great Hall.

"She's there, but she wouldn't open the door." Remus said as he sat back in his seat.

"But why?" Virginia asked.

"I don't know. Her voice felt different though."

"Maybe I should go and check on her. Maybe I could smell something there." Wolf said.

"That's a good idea." Virginia said.

"I don't think this is a good time. She never spoke that way before. She seemed concerned about something. I think it would be better to leave her alone for a while." Remus said. " Besides, she has potions at ten. I don't think she'll miss that one. Snape would hex her if she did."

"Tell me about it!" Harry said.

"Alright then. Let's wait until she comes out. After that I'll go and talk to her." Wolf said.

Everyone nodded in agreement and continued their breakfast.

Harry went to his dormitory after finishing breakfast. As soon as he entered his room he heard a sound from the window. He turned to see Pig flying hysterically right outside it. Harry opened the window and let Pig in. The little owl flew in and landed on Harry's desk with a parchment tied to its leg.

"Hi Pig!" Harry said and took the parchment. It was a letter from Ron.

----------------------------

__

Hi mate!

I'm so excited about coming to Hogwarts! I'll be there tonight as soon as dad comes back from work. He is going to bring me there.

Say hello to everyone!

Ron

----------------------------

Harry folded the parchment and put it aside. Thankfully, he won't be alone in his room anymore, he thought.

Pig shook itself and flew out of the window again.

Harry was excited about Ron coming to Hogwarts. He could never imagine life in school without his best friends, especially without Ron. He was the only one whom Harry trusted most since his first year at Hogwarts.

"I have to tell Hagrid!" he said to himself, but when he was about to leave, he changed his mind. "No. I'll leave it to be a surprise."

Since he didn't know what to do, he decided to go to the library to check on some books about Defense Against the Dark Arts.

****

O o O o O

Voldemort and Wormtail got out of the cottage and walked through the deadly swamp. The place was covered with trees that seemed to reach the skies. The light was dim and it gave a green shadow to the surroundings.

"Where are we going now Master?" Wormtail asked.

"To the Fourth Kingdom. It is the biggest and strongest kingdom, and it's bordered with all the other kingdoms. I can start my plans from there and no one would be able to stop me." Voldemort hissed.

Wormtail followed silently. After a while, they reached a small hill covered with mushrooms. Wormtail started to hear a strange song.

_We skipped the light fandango  
turned cartwheels 'cross the floor  
I was feeling kinda seasick  
but the crowd called out for more  
The room was humming harder  
as the ceiling flew away  
When we called out for another drink  
the waiter brought a tray  
  
And so it was that later  
as the miller told his tale  
that her face, at first just ghostly,  
turned a whiter shade of pale_

"M-master, do you hear a song?" Wormtail asked nervously.

"This isn't a time for songs Wormtail, we have to get you out of this place before you lose your mind."

_She said, 'There is no reason  
and the truth is plain to see.'  
But I wandered through my playing cards  
and would not let her be  
one of sixteen vestal virgins  
who were leaving for the coast  
and although my eyes were open  
they might have just as well've been closed_

"B-but m-master… I hear a song." Wormtail said and noticed something strange on the hill. The mushrooms had eyes and little mouths, and they were singing the same song that Wormtail heard. "Master! Look at these mushrooms!" Wormtail said suddenly.

_She said, 'I'm home on shore leave,'  
though in truth we were at sea  
so I took her by the looking glass  
and forced her to agree  
saying, 'You must be the mermaid  
who took Neptune for a ride.'  
But she smiled at me so sadly  
that my anger straightway died  
  
If music be the food of love  
then laughter is its queen  
and likewise if behind is in front  
then dirt in truth is clean  
My mouth by then like cardboard  
seemed to slip straight through my head  
So we crash-dived straightway quickly  
and attacked the ocean bed_

Voldemort looked at the mushrooms in total disgust and pointed his wand at them. "Silencio!" he called and the mushrooms lost their voices. "Annoying little brats." He muttered.

Wormtail stopped hearing the song. "That's better. Thank you master."

"Those mushrooms are so tricky. They can control the weak people so quickly before you can say Accio." Voldemort hissed. "I think it would be better if we apparate. Take out your wand."

"Yes master." Wormtail said and took out his wand.

They disaparated from the swamp and found themselves in the Disenchanted Forest.

"Ah! The Thousand Miles Forest." Voldemort said. "Always a good place to start my plans."

"Why is it called The Thousand Miles Forest master?" Wormtail asked.

"Because it is a thousand mile long. And it is also known as the Disenchanted Forest." Voldemort replied. "Enough questions Wormtail. We have work to do. Give me your hand."

Wormtail extended his left arm and Voldemort pulled up the robe sleeve and pressed on the dark mark with his hand. The mark turned into deep black and it started to sting. Wormtail kept his mouth shut while Voldemort waited for his followers to come.

"How are they going to come master?"

"Only Bella will come. The others are in Azkaban. They will know that I'm calling them, and they might try to get out. But Bella would be here sooner than they would, and we will have the time to prepare." Voldemort hissed.

They waited for a while and then Bellatrix Lestrange appeared next to them. She bowed and kissed the hem of Voldemort's robe.

"You called master?" she asked.

"Yes Bella. I'm glad you're here." He said and a smile formed on his skully face.

"It was a brilliant idea to leave a note about how to reach this place. I have never traveled by a mirror."

"Yes. That mirror has been made centuries ago and no body knows about its existence. It isn't mentioned in any books and that makes our task easier." Voldemort said. "Wormtail, go and gather some wood. I need you to light a fire so we would start our spell."

"Yes master." Wormtail said and ran through the forest to gather some wood as he was told.

Voldemort stared at Bellatrix for a while without saying a word. She looked back at him and tilted her head.

"Is there something wrong master?" she asked.

"Yes. You reminded me of someone." He hissed and looked away.

Silence fell between them again. Bellatrix didn't know whom she reminded him, but from the look on his face, it wasn't a happy memory.

"What are we going to do master?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"We are going to cast a sleeping spell on all the kingdoms. Everyone will fall a sleep except for the rulers. When they notice that everyone is asleep they will call for a meeting, and we are invited to be there." Voldemort replied.

"Brilliant!" Lestrange said.

Wormtail came back with some wood. He put them on the ground and started to light the fire.

"Stand around it." Voldemort told them.

Each one of them stood on one side of the fire and they all raised their wands to the air.

Voldemort was muttering something that Bellatrix and Wormtail couldn't understand. Then Voldemort pointed his wand at the fire and they did the same. At that moment pink sparks started to appear in the fire until it turned into pink flames.

"We are to send this flame to cover all the kingdoms. No one would be able to see it, but they will feel it." he smiled. "Wingardium Leviosa!"

Wormtail and Bellatrix did the same and the flame separated itself from the ashes and woods. It floated in the air.

"Wave your wands three times clockwise and then send the flame to a kingdom. Wormtail, you take the first, second and third kingdoms. Bella, you can take the seventh, eighth and ninth. I will take the fourth, fifth and sixth."

Bellatrix and Wormtail nodded their heads and followed Voldemort's movement. They waved their wands clockwise and after three times each one of them called the name of the specified kingdom. The pink flame was divided into nine pieces and on the call of each kingdom it flew away.

****

O o O o O

Harry was walking through the corridors when he saw professor Dumbledore walking to his direction.

"Harry! How nice to see you! I have good news!" Dumbledore said.

"What is it Sir?" Harry asked, a little bit confused by Dumbledore's behavior. He has never seen his headmaster act this way.

"Harry, I was at the ministry early in the morning. I was working on clearing Sirius' name although the Minister of Magic didn't like the idea. We had a meeting this morning with the members of the International Confederation of Wizards, who were assigned to study Sirius' case, and Harry, " Dumbledore took a deep breath. "I am happy to announce that all charges were withdrawn from Sirius Black. His name is clear again." Dumbledore smiled as he noticed tears form in Harry's eyes.

"Professor, are you serious?" Harry asked.

"Did I ever joke with you Harry?"

"No Sir, but it seems unbelievable. After all these years…" Harry smiled, but soon his smile faded. "If only Sirius was alive to witness this."

"He will know Harry. Don't worry about it. He will know." Dumbledore patted Harry's shoulder. "Now, I think it would be nice of you tell Remus about this. But don't tell anyone else."

"Yes professor." Harry turned to go, but he stopped and turned back to Dumbledore. "Professor?"

"Yes Harry?"

"Thank you for everything." Harry said with a smile.

"You're welcome Harry, although you don't need to thank me." Dumbledore smiled and went to his office.

Harry quickly ran to Remus' office to tell him the news. He was so happy that nothing could ruin his mood.

****

O o O o O

Although his name was cleared, but his new position held more troubles than he thought he would have.

Sirius was having breakfast when he felt that his servants were acting strange. They were trembling and yawning. Sirius stared at them and was shocked when he saw one of the servants fall to the ground and start to snore.

"What the…" Sirius couldn't complete what he wanted to say because he heard another servant falling to the ground.

He got up from the table and went out to the corridors. Everyone was sleeping except for him.

"What's going on here?!" He asked, but no one replied. He walked to one of the servants and knelt next to him. Sirius put his head on the servant's chest to make sure if he was alive. When he could hear the heart beating he shook the servant, but still no luck.

"This is weird. Something is just not right here." He walked to the Thrown room and saw Lord Rupert and Queen Cinderella lying on the ground too.

"Bloody hell! Everyone is asleep! This seems to be some kind of a spell. But why isn't it effecting me?" Sirius asked himself. "SNOW WHITE! WHERE ARE YOU?!"


	18. At The Lake

****

Chapter 18 - At the Lake

Sirius was running along the corridors trying to find someone awake. However, to his displeasure everyone was on the spot where they were at the moment the spell hit them, lying on the ground in deep sleep.

"This is crazy! Why am I the only one to be awake! SNOW WHITE!" he yelled and a white light flashed in front of him and Snow White appeared.

"Where the hell were you?!" Sirius asked angrily.

"Sirius, try to calm down. This isn't time to panic." She said in her calm voice.

"How can I stay calm while everyone is hit by an unknown spell? Why am I the only one who hasn't been affected?"

"You're not the only one Sirius." Snow White said. "Finally, the charm protecting the evil plans have been broken when this spell started. The cause of this spell is Voldemort. I'm sure you heard about him."

Sirius froze. "V-Voldemort you say? But how?"

"It seems that he is cooperating with my stepmother. He has started this spell from the middle of the Fourth Kingdom and it's effecting all the nine kingdoms. And only the rulers of the kingdoms are the ones who hasn't been effected."

"Why?"

"I don't know yet. But I'm sure he's planning for something." Snow White said. "You have to stay in the palace. Don't leave and don't speak to any strangers if you meet any. The only people who are awake are the rulers of the other kingdoms and even if they try to come here, it will take them a couple of days or so to reach here."

"Alright. If anyone else appears I guess it'll have to be a Death Eater."

"Right. Now, I'm going to pay Dumbledore a visit. He asked me to visit him, and I'll tell him that Voldemort has started his plans."

"He won't be pleased though."

"We both aren't pleased either, are we?"

"Yeah, you're right. Okay, go ahead, I'll wait for you to return."

"Alright." Snow White said and disappeared.

Sirius went to his room and closed the door behind him. He sat near the window and stared out at the bright sky. "Everything seems perfect out there, how come there's no sign of anything weird?" he asked himself.

Meanwhile, Voldemort finished his incantation and turned to his followers.

"Bella, did you do as I said?" he asked.

"Yes Master." Bellatrix replied with a bow.

"Good. My plans are going well. Let's just hope Dumbledore wouldn't stick his nose in this time." Voldemort hissed. "Let's go back now. We have someone to meet tonight."

****

O o O o O

Dumbledore entered his office and saw Snow White stroking Fawks' feathers.

"Snow White, my dear. How nice to see you again." He said with a smile.

"Hello Albus. I'm afraid I have bad news." Snow White said.

Dumbledore sat in his chair behind his desk. "Voldemort?" he asked.

"Yes. He cast a sleeping spell over the kingdoms, and only the rulers haven't been effected."

"What about Sirius?"

"He is there as Wendell, so he's also awake."

"That's good to know."

"Albus, I need your help in saving the kingdoms. Wolf, Virginia, Tony and Wendell can't do this by themselves. They need guidance from experienced wizards."

"We have Sirius, and I'll ask Remus and Snape to join him too." Dumbledore said. "I will help as much as I can. I can't leave Hogwarts, but I'll be there when I'm needed."

"Thank you Albus. Now, you wanted to tell me something, what is it?"

"Oh yes, I almost forgot. Sirius' name is cleared." Dumbledore said with a smile.

"How nice!" Snow White said. "He'll be happy to know."

"Yes of course. Who wouldn't?"

"Yeah. So, that means that he can come back here and show himself?"

"I'm afraid not Snow. Voldemort shouldn't know that Sirius is alive. In fact, no one should know that Sirius is alive. He will show himself when the time comes."

"Alright Albus. I'm going back to the kingdoms. I'm sure Wendell… I mean Sirius will be expecting a council meeting during the next few days. It will be his first, so I have to be there when the other rulers arrive."

"Of course. How is he doing as a king?"

"Oh he's fine. He doesn't like it, but he'll survive."

"How typical of him. So independent, and so modest at the same time."

"Yes. Well, I better get going. See you soon Albus."

"See you soon Snow." Dumbledore replied and Snow White disappeared in a white flash of light.

That evening Harry was pacing back and forth near the Entrance Hall. Ron was going to arrive any moment now, and Harry couldn't wait to see him again.

"Harry!" Ron yelled as he came closer.

"Ron! Nice to see you mate!" Harry said and gave Ron a hug.

"Nice to see you too! Missed me?" Ron said with a wink.

"Of course I did! You can't imagine how boring it is to stay all alone in this place."

"I can imagine. How's everything going?" Ron asked.

"So far, so good. Lia is having her private lessons and she seems to enjoy them."

"Where is she anyway?"

"In her room. She didn't come out today, I don't know what's wrong with her. Remus says that she wants to stay alone. She hasn't been to any class today either."

"Are you sure she's alright? I mean… her heart and all…"

"Yeah, she's fine. If something was going to happen, I would've felt it too." Harry said. "Although, my scar was stinging this morning a little bit. But nothing special."

"I see. So, are you staying in our dorm?"

"Yeah, all alone in the Gryffindor tower."

"Blimey! That must be cool!"

"You can't imagine how much!" Harry said. "Come, let's take your trunk there and we'll go and visit Hagrid."

"Alright." Ron said and he pulled his trunk with Harry's help to the Gryffindor tower.

As they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Harry said the password and they both entered. They left the trunk in the common room and went out again to visit Hagrid.

When they reached the cottage, Harry knocked the door and Fang started to bark.

"Shut up Fang!" Hagrid said and opened the door.

"Hi Hagrid!" Harry and Ron said together.

"'ello 'aryy! Ron? What 're yeh doin' 'ere?" Hagrid asked.

"I came to join Harry." Ron said.

"Get in!" Hagrid said and motioned for them to enter.

Ron and Harry entered the cottage and Hagrid closed the door behind them.

"Where's Rex?" Harry asked.

"Ou' there. Came out since mornin' and didn' come back yet."

"I wonder what he's up to?" Ron asked.

"He must be with Lia." Harry said. "Remember what she said about him? He's always there beside her when she's not feeling well."

"Oh, so she's not feeling well at this moment." Ron said.

"Yeah, hey let's go and see her." Harry said.

"Yeh better go back now. 'tis getting dark." Hagrid said.

"You're right. Let's go Ron." Harry said. "See you tomorrow Hagrid."

"Bye Hagrid." Ron said.

"Bye." Hagrid replied and the boys went out. They headed back to the castle and climbed the stairs to go to Lia's room in the western tower.

As they reached the room, Harry knocked but to his surprise, the door was opened. He walked in and looked around.

"Lia? Are you in there?" he asked, but no one was in the room.

"Harry, look what I found!" Ron said as he picked up a piece of parchment from the ground. He unfolded it and read:

----------------------------

__

Dear Lia,

Please meet me near the lake tonight at ten o'clock. I really need to see you. I have something to give you from your mother.

P.S.: Please don't tell anyone about this, especially the headmaster.

Sincerely,

An admirer

----------------------------

"Hey, she already has a secret admirer?" Ron asked.

"I don't know. Who might he be?" Harry asked. "Do you think it's Remus?"

"Why do you think so?" Ron asked.

"Well, he has been taking care of her since we got here, and he seemed so interested in her all the time."

"Oh I see. It says that he'll wait for her near the lake." Ron said.

Harry looked at Ron for a moment. "Are you thinking about what I'm thinking?"

Ron smiled. "Yeah."

"Let's go then!" Harry said and they both ran to the lake.

"What time is it?" Ron asked as he stopped to catch his breath.

"Almost five minutes to ten. Come on let's hurry or we'll be late!" Harry said and ran, Ron followed him.

Lia walked to the lake looking behind her all the time. She felt like she was being watched. She hoped that it wasn't the werewolf she saw a few days ago. As she reached the lake she saw someone standing there. It appeared to be a woman. Lia approached her carefully.

"Lia?" the woman asked.

"Yes, who are you?" Lia asked.

"My name is Bella."

"Why did you sign the letter as an admirer?"

"Well, because there's an admirer who wanted to meet you." The woman smiled.

"And who might that be?" Lia asked.

"Me." A black figure appeared from behind the trees and stood in front of her. Lia felt her scar burn and her breathing started to get faster.

"You!" she said in a whisper. "You're the one who killed my mother!"

"How excellent memory you have." Voldemort hissed. "And I see that you have the beauty of your mother."

Lia took a step back. "Stay away from me, or I'll scream."

"And you think someone would hear you?" Bellatrix said.

"You lied to me! You said you had something to give me from my mother!" Lia yelled.

"In fact, your mother had something that she was supposed to give me. Her love." Voldemort hissed. "But instead, she preferred that mudblood."

"Don't you dare call my father a mudblood!"

"You are coming with me."

"She's not going anywhere!" Harry said and took out his wand. "Leave her alone Voldemort!"

"How dare you call him by his name!" Bellatrix said and took out her wand.

"You!" Harry said. "You're the one who killed Sirius!"

Lia's eyes widened in shock. Her heart was hurting now. "H-Harry." She said and fell on her knees, breathing hard.

"Lia get out of here!" Harry said and pointed his wand at Bellatrix. "Stupefy!"

Bellatrix ducked and the spell missed her. "Bad aiming kid! Here's the way to do it. Crucio!"

"Protego!" Harry yelled and a golden shield formed in front of him and the spell hit it.

Voldemort pointed his wand at Harry. "You're going to suffer Harry Potter. Crucio!"

Before Harry could act, Voldemort's spell hit him and he fell on the ground wincing in pain.

"Expelliarmus!" Ron yelled, pointing his wand at Voldemort.

Voldemort's wand flew out of his hand and landed next to Wormtail. Harry got up slowly as the spell lost its effect.

"Lia, run!" Harry said.

Lia got up and tried to run but Wormtail blocked her way. She tried to avoid him, but he seemed to appear in every direction she took.

"Accio wand!" Voldemort hissed and his wand flew to him. "Say good bye to your precious cousin Potter." And with a wave of his hand both Lia and Voldemort disappeared. Bellatrix and Wormtail disappeared after them.

"Lia! NO!" Harry yelled, but Lia was gone.

"I thought they couldn't disaparate around Hogwarts!" Ron said.

Harry fell on his knees and cried. "LIA!!!"

At that moment Dumbledore and Remus came running.

"What happened?" Remus asked. "Where's Lia?"

"Voldemort took her." Ron said, looking at the ground.

"He did what?!" Remus asked.

"How did that happen?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry got up. "He just waved his hand and they disappeared." He said between sobs. "Professor, we have to bring her back!"

"We will Harry. Don't worry. But now, you are the one who will be able to tell where they are."

Harry stared at Dumbledore. "But how?"

"Through your dreams Harry." Dumbledore said. "You won't do Occlumency anymore until we find Lia."

"Let's go back to the castle." Remus said, anger was obvious in his eyes.

They all walked back to the castle and Harry headed straight to the Gryffindor tower.

"Ron, may I have a word?" Remus asked.

"Yes professor?"

"Remus."

"Okay, Remus." Ron said.

"How did you know that Lia was at the lake?" Remus asked.

Ron took out the letter from his pocket and gave it to Remus. " We found it on the ground in Lia's room. We went there to see how she was doing, and I saw it. We thought that it was from you actually."

"Me?" Remus raised an eyebrow. "Why would I call her to the lake if our rooms are next to each other and we can talk in private?"

Ron blushed. "I'm sorry. We didn't think at that moment. It didn't seem to be a false letter. Besides, it said that the person who sent it has something to give her from her mother."

"But it also said not to tell anyone, especially Dumbledore. And you know that Voldemort's worst enemy is Dumbledore."

Ron's face went dark red. "I…"

"It's not the time to apologize or something. Go to your common room now. We'll see what can we do about this situation and I'll call you two later."

"Alright." Ron said and ran to the Gryffindor tower.

"What do you have to say about this professor?" Remus asked.

Dumbledore was standing near one of the windows and staring outside.

"I don't know Remus. The only clue we will have will come through Harry's dreams. I just hope that he'll be able to see where she is now." Dumbledore said without turning around.

"What if we're late?"

"Whatever Voldemort is planning, I'm sure he'll need Lia to complete it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have took her."

"You're right. And what should we do now?"

"We have to wait for Harry to tell us about it. Let's wait until morning."

Remus nodded and went to his room, while Dumbledore headed to his office.

Remus felt terrible. "I should've known there was something wrong about her since this morning!" he told himself. "Obviously she was confused by the fact that one of her mother's friends had something to give her, and he was supposed to be an admirer! How stupid I am! If I only insisted on seeing her this morning!" he looked out of the window. "Oh Emi, I hope that you'll forgive me for being such a fool. Your daughter is in deep danger and I can't do anything about it."

Remus lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He had to do something about this. But he didn't know what. "If only Sirius was here now. He would've known what to do." Remus said to himself and drifted into sleep.


	19. Back To The Kingdoms

****

Miss Piratess: Yeah! He's cool! Don't worry about Bella. She'll get her punishment. I promise! :)

**Laughing Fountain:** Here they are!!

****

Chapter 19 - Back To The Kingdoms

Next morning everyone was gathered in Dumbledore's office. Harry's eyes were red from crying all night and Ron was sitting next to him, trying to calm him. However, he didn't seem to be succeeding.

"Harry, I'm sure Dumbledore would think of something." Ron whispered.

"Why didn't I see it coming? Why didn't I get a vision of it?" Harry replied.

Ron didn't know how to respond. He just sat there next to his friend and looked at Dumbledore who was speaking to the others.

"We don't know where did he take her." Dumbledore said. "Our only hope is Harry with his dreams."

"I'm sure Voldemort won't mess with Harry's head now. I don't think he wants to show his hiding place." Remus said.

"I doubt it Remus." Snape said. "The Dark Lord wants Harry dead. And he'll do anything to get him."

"Why would he want Harry to die?" Wolf asked.

"Because the prophecy said that one of us should survive while the other dies." Harry replied.

"Oh Cripes. This is bad." Wolf said.

"Miss Lewis," Dumbledore said. "Did Snow White contact you these days?"

"No. I haven't seen her or heard from her." Virginia replied.

Dumbledore nodded. "Then I'll call her. I'm sure she'll know something about this."

"Is there any news from the Kingdoms?" Wendell asked.

"Yes. Unfortunately, Voldemort has started a sleeping spell that hit all the kingdoms. Everyone has been hit by the spell, except from the rulers. It seems that he wants to start a chaos among the rulers of the kingdoms so his plans would succeed."

"Suck an elf! What about the man you sent to replace me?" Wendell asked.

"He's fine. He hasn't been effected because he is there as the ruler of the Fourth Kingdom. He is now waiting for the other rulers to come to your palace so they would start a meeting."

"I have to be there." Wendell said.

"But what about Lia?" Virginia asked.

"There's a possibility that Voldemort is in the Kingdoms now, because of his spell. He needs to be there all the time to refresh it. And I highly doubt that Bellatrix Lestrange or Peter Pettigrew are able to do that spell on their own." Dumbledore said.

"He never managed to do the simple spells, let alone a strong one like that." Remus said.

At that moment a while light flashed in the room and Snow White appeared. Everyone gasped at her sight, except for Dumbledore who smiled.

"Hello Snow." He said.

"Hello Albus," Snow White replied. "I see you already gathered everyone here."

"Snow White, do you know where Lia is?" Virginia asked.

"She is with Voldemort." Snow White replied.

"That one, we already know." Harry said.

"He took her to the Deadly Swamp." Snow White said.

"The Swamp?" Tony said. He remembered the last time he was there with Virginia.

"You know that place?" Remus asked.

"Of course I do! I've been there!" Tony replied.

"We passed through it while trying to get to Wendell's palace." Virginia explained. "We were chained to each other, because the trolls captured us. We escaped and we ended up in the Swamp while trying to take a short cut to the palace. We met some kind of pixies, or fairy-elves… whatever… that's not the point. I was there to get a poisoned comb that I used later to kill my mother." Virginia remembered the day she killed her mother with that comb and fought back tears. Wolf put his arm around her waist and stood by her side. "The Swamp water is deadly. It makes a person fall into deep sleep and you might never wake up."

"There was some kind of… grass that grew on us while we were asleep." Tony said. "It covered us, but thanks to Wolf, he was there in time to wake us up. He saved our lives."

"Not to forget, when you enter the Swamp you start hearing a strange song. What was that Tony?" Wolf said.

"A Whiter Shade of Pale." Tony said.

"What's that?" Remus asked.

"It's an old song." Tony said. "Virginia couldn't hear it, but I did."  
"So, anyone who enters that place gets cursed somehow?" Ron asked.

"You can say so." Virginia said.

"You have to be strong enough to fight it." Wendell said.

"You are forgetting the subject." Snow White said.

"Correct," Dumbledore said. "Which reminds me. You must go there and find Lia. That way you'll also find Voldemort, or at least his two Death Eaters."

"No problem." Wolf said.

"Alright. Remus, Severus you two are going with them to the Swamp. Minerva, you'll go to the Palace of White. Our friend there will need your help." Dumbledore said.

"What about us?" Ron asked.

"You are staying here, with me."

"I'm going with Remus and the others to find Lia." Harry said.

"And I'm going with Harry." Ron continued.

"Harry, it is dangerous for you to go there. We will wait for a signal from them, and then we can join them. We don't want to give Voldemort what he desires. He is expecting you now, but he doesn't know who is going there."

Harry looked at Dumbledore. "But I will go there, won't I?"

"Yes Harry, you will. The prophecy said that only you two can kill each other and we need you to kill Voldemort. No one else would be able to do that." Dumbledore said with a smile.

At that moment Hagrid opened the door and entered.

"Sorry professor, Rex is causin' trouble." He said while holding Rex's collar. The dog was barking loudly and trying to escape Hagrid's grip.

"Ah, yes. I almost forgot about him." Dumbledore said. "Remus, you will take the dog with you. He will lead you to her I'm sure. Hagrid, you can let go of him."

Hagrid let go of Rex and the dog rushed to Snow White and walked around her, waving his tail to the sides happily.

"Grandmother, this dog recognizes you?" Wendell asked.

"Of course Wendell. He is my dog after all." Snow White said and scratched Rex's head. "How are you boy? Missed me?"

The dog barked as if to say "Yes".

"You gave Lia your dog?" Virginia asked and Snow White nodded. "Why?"

"I saw Lia walking in the streets all alone one night. She was in bad shape. She has been raped and has spent many nights in the streets. I offered her a house that has been abandoned for a long time. And I gave her Rex to look after her. Since then I have been taking care of her form distance." Snow White replied.

Harry stared at her with opened mouth and his eyes wide opened. He never knew that part of Lia's life. She has never told him about it. Ron was as shocked as Harry was.

"We can't let something like that happen to her again." Virginia said.

"Well, if we're going to stand here and talk, I'm sure we will let that happen again." Snape said.

"You're right." Remus said and turned to Dumbledore. "Professor, how do we reach the kingdoms?"

"Snow White will take you to Wendell's palace." Dumbledore said. "Be ready to leave in thirty minutes."

"Okay." Virginia said. "I'll pack our stuff. Wolf, dad come on and help me. Wendell, you too."

Virginia left the office. Wolf, Tony and Wendell followed her. Remus and Snape also went to their rooms to take what they need for the trip.

"Albus, how can we contact you from there?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Snow White will give you mirrors when you get there Minerva. You can call me by using them." Dumbledore said. "And I'll give you all an anti sleeping potion, so you wouldn't be hit by the spell."

"Alright. I'll go and get my bag too." McGonagall said and went out.

"Is it like the mirror Sirius has given me?" Harry asked.

"Do you still have it Harry?" Dumbledore asked, as his face turned into a concerned one.

"No." Harry said, looking at the ground. "I smashed it."

Dumbledore sighed in relief. If Harry could use that mirror, it meant that he would know that Sirius is alive, and Dumbledore didn't want that to happen, yet.

"I'll go ter me hut." Hagrid said. "If yeh need me professor, just call me."

"I will Hagrid. Thank you." Dumbledore said, and with that Hagrid left the office and went to his cottage.

Everyone was back to Dumbledore's office with their bags. Snow White looked at them and smiled.

Dumbledore took out little bottles that contained a purple potion and put them on his desk. "Everyone drink from this potion. This is an anti-sleeping potion that will keep you awake in the kingdoms. Severus, you know how to brew a new one if you see the need for it."

"Of course professor." Snape replied.

Everyone took a bottle and drank.

"This is awful!" Wolf said.

"It tastes like rotten tomato!" Tony said.

"Who said that a potion should taste good?" Snape said.

"Are you ready?" she asked them, and they all nodded. "Good. Now hold each other's hands. Wendell give me your hand."

Wendell held Snow White's hand while the others were standing next to him holding each other's hands. Remus was last. His right hand held Snape's and the left hand held Rex's collar.

"No matter what, don't let go. And keep your eyes shut." Snow White said. "See you soon Albus. Bye Harry and Ron."

"Bye." The boys said together.

"Return as soon as you can Snow White." Dumbledore said.

Snow White smiled and disappeared in a white flash. The others disappeared with her as well.

"Blimey! She's like a portkey!" Ron said.

"She's a fairy, and she can do whatever she wants." Dumbledore said.

"I thought she was a ghost." Harry said.

"Ghosts like the ones we have here do not exist in the nine kingdoms." Dumbledore explained. "And not everyone turns into a fairy after they die. Only the good kings and queens turn into fairies."

"I see." Ron said.

"So, what do we do now?" Harry asked.

"We wait for the signal." Dumbledore said.

"Harry, how about practicing Quidditch while we wait?" Ron asked.

"Ron! How can you think of Quidditch now?" Harry asked.

"Harry, I think Ron is right. You two go and practice. You'll get bored by sitting here with nothing to do." Dumbledore said.

"Alright professor." Harry said and got up. He left the office with Ron and they went to their dormitories to get their brooms.

"This is going to be the longest waiting period." Dumbledore muttered to himself.

No one knew where exactly Voldemort has taken Lia. All they knew was that he took her to the Deadly Swamp, where no one has survived. Virginia, Tony and Wolf were the first to enter the Swamp and get out of there alive.

****

O o O o O

Sirius was still sitting in his room wondering what would happen next. Little he knew about Lia being kidnapped by Voldemort. He thought that she was still at Hogwarts trying to learn some new spells and charms.

While he was deep into his thoughts, he heard a knock on the door. He quickly got up and opened it.

"Remus?" he said. "Remus! You're here!"

"Er… Wendell? I mean, Sirius is that you?" Remus asked.

"Of course it's me mate!" Sirius gave Remus a hug. "I really missed you!"

"It's good to see you again Padfoot." Remus replied.

"Are you alone here?" Sirius asked.

"No, the others are on their way. Oh, here they come." Remus said.

They all entered the room and were shocked to see another Wendell standing in front of them. Wendell took a step forward and examined the other Wendell.

"My grandmother is amazing." Wendell said. "I never thought that she can do this."

"Well, it seems that she can." Sirius said with a smile.

"I'm King Wendell. The real King Wendell." Wendell said.

"I'm Sirius Black." Sirius said. "It's a pleasure to meet you Your Majesty."

"Sirius?" Snape said. "I thought you were dead!"

"Not anymore Snivell… I mean… Severus." Sirius said.

"And he even smells like Wendell!" Wolf said. "That's amazing!"

"Looks like Snow White didn't forget about the details." Sirius said.

"Nice to see you again Sirius!" Wolf said and gave Sirius a hug.

"Nice to see you too Wolf."

"You know each other?" Virginia asked.

"Of course we do! We spent the full moon night together." Wolf said.

"Oh I see." Virginia replied.

"By the way, Sirius, this is my mate for life, Virginia. And this is her father, Tony."

"Nice to meet you Sirius." Virginia said.

"Nice to meet you Wend… I mean Sirius." Tony said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too." Sirius replied with a smile. "Wolf told me about you."

"I hope he didn't get carried away." Virginia said.

"Well, he mentioned that he loves you." Sirius said.

"Oh, how sweet of you Wolf!" Virginia said and looked at Wolf, who blushed.

"Umm… Sirius, how long has everyone been hit by the spell?" Wendell asked.

"It started yesterday." Sirius said. "Snow White said that only the rulers are awake and they should be here in a couple of days. We were going to have a meeting."

"I see. I hope you don't mind if I join that meeting?" Wendell said.

"No, not at all. You are the true King after all. Besides, I guess I should keep you updated about what happened during my stay here." Sirius said.

"I'd appreciate it." Wendell said.

"Alright." Sirius said and told Wendell everything that happened since the day he came here disguised as the king.

Snow White appeared in the room. "Looks like we need to do something about the kings. Don't we?" she asked.

"That would be wonderful." Wendell said.

"Sirius will remain disguised until the time comes for him to reveal himself. I will just change something in him so you wouldn't mix him and Wendell." Snow White said and with a wave of her hand, Sirius' hair color was black and his eyes were brown. "There. You can easily recognize Sirius now."

Sirius looked at himself in the mirror. "But I still look like Wendell!" he complained.

"You are to be recognized as Wendell's twin brother. Your name will be William."

"William? How about leaving it Sirius?" Sirius asked.

"Alright, Sirius it is. Prince Sirius White, welcome to the family." Snow White said with a smile.

"Thank you grandmother." Sirius replied with a smile and bowed.

Remus was having a hard time trying to hide his laughter. He never imagined seeing Sirius in such form.

"Snow White," Remus asked. "Will Sirius be able to use his animagus abilities?"

"Not yet. While he is a member of the House of White, he can't have any of his wizarding abilities."  
"Can I at least use my wand?" Sirius asked.

"No Sirius. You'll be able to use it when the time comes. When you fully reveal yourself." Snow White said and disappeared.

"If that time comes!" Sirius muttered.

"Don't worry mate, your name has been cleared." Remus said.

"What? Are you sure?" Sirius said.  
"Of course I'm sure! Dumbledore told us yesterday. Congratulations!"

"Goodness me! This is great! I can see Harry again!"

"When the time comes." Remus said. "Remember what Snow White said. You can fully reveal yourself when the time comes."

"I wonder when will it come?" Sirius said.

"Let's just wait for it Sirius." Professor McGonagall said. "I'm sure we won't wait for long."

"I hope so." Sirius replied.

"I'm hungry!" Wolf said.

"Is that all you can think about at this moment?" Tony asked.

"Yes Tony. Unlike you, I do care about my health." Wolf replied.

"Will you two stop arguing?" Virginia said. "I'm sure we can find something for you to eat Wolf. Let's go to the kitchen."

"There's no need." Professor McGonagall said. "Let us all go to the dining room. I can make some food for all of us."

"Alright then, let's go." Virginia said.

They all went to the dining room. Wendell walked silently behind them looking sadly at his servants who lied lifeless on the floor everywhere in the castle.

When they were at the dining room, Professor McGonagall waved her wand at the table and different kinds of dishes appeared. Wolf licked his lips and rubbed his hands together.

"I'm ravenous!" he said and sat down.

Virginia shook her head and joined him. Soon, they all were sitting around the table and eating.

Wendell didn't seem to have an appetite. He couldn't eat while his kingdom was under some kind of a spell. No one but Virginia noticed him looking at his plate without touching it.

"Everything will be fine. We will bring them back to life." She whispered to him.

"I hope so." Wendell replied in a whisper.


	20. I Won't Sit Here And Wait

****

Timra: No need to wait :) here's the next chapter winks

**Miss Piratess:** Thanks :) blush I was hoping to do a good job by writing a crossover. It really is hard to put all the characters there!

Chapter 20 - I Won't Sit Here And Wait.

Harry and Ron took their brooms and headed to the Quidditch field. They practiced for a while until Harry landed and Ron followed him.

"What's wrong mate?" Ron asked.

"I have a n idea." Harry said.

"I think I already know what you're thinking about."

"If Wolf and the others came here through the forest, I'm sure we can find the passage they used, and we can go there!" Harry said.

"Harry, I don't think Dumbledore would like that idea." Ron said.

"And who said that I'm going to tell him? Are you with me in this?"

"Of course I am! How can you even think that I would let you go there all alone!"

Harry smiled. "Thanks mate. Let's go then."

They walked to the forest trying to find the passage that would lead to the kingdoms.

****

O o O o O

While everyone in the Palace of White was busy in carrying or dragging the sleeping servants to different room and put them in beds, Sirius went to the mirror room and stood in front of the Mirror of Magic. He looked at it and touched its frame. Then he turned it on and stared at the castle that appeared in it. One step and he could be back at Hogwarts. He could meet Harry and tell him about everything that happened with him since the incident at the Department of mysteries.

The sound of approaching footsteps made Sirius jump and he turned to see who was it. Professor McGonagall looked at him with pursed lips.

"Sirius Black, I thought that you had a little amount of sense in your head! Why aren't you helping us back there?"

"I'm coming." Sirius said and left the room with McGonagall.

As soon as they put the last servant in a room, Wendell stared at his servants who were looking pale like they were dead. If it wasn't for their breathing, he would've thought that they really were dead.

"What's going on here?"

Everyone turned to look at the source of the sound. Cinderella was standing in the corridor looking at them like they were thieves.

"Cinderella!" Wolf said and bowed. "How nice to meet you again Your Majesty."

"Thank you Wolf." Cinderella replied.

"Grandmother, when did you arrive?" Wendell asked.

Cinderella looked at Wendell and then to the other Wendell who had dark hair. "What did Snow do this time?"

Wendell rolled his eyes. "She kept Sirius in my form, but she made him look a little bit different."

"I see." Cinderella replied and then she looked at Wendell with a smile. "Welcome back Wendell."

"Thank you grandmother." Wendell said and hugged her. "When did you arrive? And how?"

Cinderella pulled herself back from the hug. "I came for your birthday party, and I decided to stay for a couple of days. However, it seems that something is wrong. Who are these new people?"

"They are friends. Let me introduce them to you." Wendell said. "Well, you know Anthony and Virginia Lewis and Wolf."

Cinderella smiled back. "Yes of course, how can I forget the ones who saved the nine kingdoms." She said.

"This is professor McGonagall. She is the deputy headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and teacher of Transfiguration." Wendell said.

"How do you do?" Cinderella asked.

"It's an honor to meet you Your Majesty." Professor McGonagall said.

"This is professor Snape. He is the Potions Master of the same school." Wendell continued introducing. "And this is Remus Lupin, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"Nice to meet you." Cinderella said. "How is Albus doing?" she turned to professor McGonagall.

"He's doing well." McGonagall replied. "May I ask you how you know him?"

"We went to school together. Albus, Snow, Gretel and me." Cinderella said.

"You were?" Wendell asked. "I didn't know that."

"Well, you never asked how I knew your other grandmother before your parents married each other." Cinderella said.

"Oh, right." Wendell said.

"So you went to Hogwarts?" Sirius asked.

"No. We went to a private school. At that time the kingdoms weren't formed yet." Cinderella said. "When we turned eleven Albus told us that he was going to another school. We were sad of course to see him leave, but we were always in contact with each other. He kept sending us letters for many years. Now can someone tell me what's going on here?" Cinderella asked.

"Voldemort has cast a sleeping spell on the kingdoms and everyone was hit by it, except from the rulers. And we have taken a special potion to remain awake." Remus said.

****

O o O o O

Harry and Ron walked through the Forbidden Forest their wands in their hands. Ron looked around hoping to find the passage as soon as possible so they won't end up meeting any dangerous magical creature before they reach the kingdoms.

"How does that passage look like?" Ron asked in a whisper.

"I don't know." Harry replied. "I think it must be something unusual."

"Like what?"

"Like that blue light!" Harry said. "See there?" he pointed to the blue shimmering light he noticed that was not so far from them.

"What if it was something else?" Ron asked.

"Well, I guess we wouldn't know unless we get closer." Harry replied and walked to the light. He extended his hand to it and it felt like he was touching a ghost. "I guess this is it."

"What should we do now?" Ron asked.

"Let's pass through it." Harry said, and before Ron could protest he stepped through the light and disappeared.

"I don't like this." Ron said and looked around. He was all alone in the forest. "Bloody hell. I guess I have no choice." He muttered and stepped through.

Ron felt like he was being swallowed by an unknown force, and he could feel himself being dragged through several mirrors. Finally he came out of the Mirror of Magic and hit the ground.

"Ow!" he cried as he rubbed his head, which hit the ground. "That hurts!"

"Are you alright?" Harry asked as he helped Ron to get up.

"Yeah, I guess so." Ron replied and looked around. "Blimey! Look at all these mirrors!"

"It really is a strange room." Harry said. "Let's get out of here and search for the others."

"Yeah, this room is scary. I don't like it at all!" Ron said.

They walked out of the room and looked around. The corridors were empty and they couldn't hear anyone around.

"Where are they?" Ron asked.

"How should I know?" Harry replied. "Do you think they are already on their way to the Swamp?" he asked as they kept walking.

"Maybe." Ron said and paused. "Hey do you hear sounds?"

Harry listened carefully and he could hear people speaking. "Yeah. Let's go!"

They walked faster to the room from which came the sounds. The door was slightly opened and Harry could see Remus sitting there with his back to the door. Snape was standing near the window looking angry (as always). Wendell was sitting next to…

"There are two Wendells here!" Harry whispered.

"What? Are you sure?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, take a look." Harry said and took a step back. Ron came forward and looked inside.

"Blimey! Well, at least their hair color is different!" Ron said and yawned. "Don't you feel sleepy?"

"Yeah." Harry yawned too. "I think it's the spell."

Wolf sniffed the air and looked alarmed.

"What is it Wolf?" Virginia asked.

"They're here!" Wolf said.

"Who's here?" Remus asked.

"Harry and his friend! I can smell them."

"What?" Sirius got up to his feet.

Wolf got up and walked to the door and pulled it open. Two sleepy bows were standing there with their eyes almost closed.

"See? I told you." Wolf said.

"Harry! Ron!" Remus called. "What the bloody hell are you two doing here?!"

Wolf and Remus brought Harry and Ron inside and put them on the couch.

"Severus, do you have the potion with you?" Remus asked.

"I do. But I'd suggest we leave them to sleep." Snape said. "These boys would never learn how to listen."

"Give them the potion Snape." Sirius said.

"Mr. Snape, you remember what professor Dumbledore said about Harry?" Virginia said. "He said that only Harry could fight Voldemort."

Snape flinched at the mention of the name and he took out two little bottles of the potion from his travelling bag.

Remus took the bottles and gave them to Harry and Ron. "Here, drink this."

Each of the boys took a bottle and drank the potion. Soon they were full awake.

"Wow! That was a strong spell." Harry said.

"What are you two doing here?" Remus asked.

"Mr. Potter, I thought that professor Dumbledore asked you to stay with him." Professor McGonagall said.

"Yes. But I can't stay there while my cousin is in the hands of Voldemort! You know that no one can trust him! He would kill her instantly if he wants to!" Harry said.

"How did you come here?" Virginia asked.

"Through the forest." Ron replied.

Virginia looked at Wolf. "But the mirror was turned off, wasn't it?"

"I left it open." Sirius said.

"You did what?!" Remus said.

"I was in the mirror room and I took a look at it. Then professor McGonagall called me and I forgot to turn it off."

"Do you realize what have you done?!" Remus said, anger was rising in him.

"Remus! Si… William! Will you stop it?" Wendell said. He was about to say Sirius when he remembered that Harry wasn't supposed to know that he is here.

"Sorry. Got carried away." Remus said.

"Who are these boys?" Cinderella asked.

"The most uncontrollable and trouble seeker boys at Hogwarts." Snape muttered.

"They are Harry Potter and Ron Weasley." Professor McGonagall said. "They are students of Hogwarts."

"How nice." Cinderella said.

"Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, this is Queen Cinderella." McGonagall said.

Harry and Ron looked at each other confused and they stood up. "Nice to meet you Your Majesty." They said together and bowed.

"Nice to meet you two." Cinderella smiled.

"And this is Prince William White. He is King Wendell's brother." Remus said.

Harry looked at the dark haired Wendell. "Nice to meet you Sir."

Sirius only smiled. He couldn't speak at that moment; so many emotions ran through him now. Harry was standing in front of him and he couldn't tell him that he was alive!

"Can we get back to business?" Wolf asked, as he smelt Sirius' confusion.

"Right. Where were we?" Wendell said.

"Time and date." Virginia said.

"Alright, so we wait until the other rulers get here to start the meeting with them." Wendell said.

"And after that William and professor McGonagall will stay here and the rest of us will leave." Remus said.

"And these two should wait here, too." Professor Snape said.

"We want to come!" Harry said.

"Harry, you know that it's dangerous." Remus said.

"You can join us later." Wolf said. "Well… you have to."

"I don't want to join you later! I want to go with you!" Harry said. "And no one will stop me!"

Remus sighed. "Can anyone put sense in this kid? I'm not going to convince him about anything now." he said and sat on a chair.

"Why can't he come? That Voldemort guy will know that he's here anyway." Tony said. "I'm sure the swamp witch will find out that we're here sooner or later. And it won't make any difference if he's here or with us."

"We can send them back to Hogwarts." Snape said.

"Tony has a point." Sirius said. "And I'm sure that you won't be able to take them back." He looked at Snape as to remind him of the incident at the Shrieking Shack when Snape had tried to convince Harry to get out of the place.

Snape looked at Sirius like he was about to cut him into pieces and Sirius hardly managed to hide a grin. Sirius turned to Harry and Ron.

"Come, I'll show you around." He said and took them out of the room.  
"He won't be able to keep his mouth shut." Snape said.

"I'm sure he'll manage it Severus." Professor McGonagall said.

"I highly doubt it." Remus said. "Did you see the look on his face when he saw Harry? It was a now-or-never look. He wanted to tell him, and I know it when Sirius wants to say something. Nothing and no one can stop him from doing that."

"Let's just wait and see." McGonagall replied calmly.


	21. Welcome Back Isabel

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Miss Piratess: Thanks :)

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Laughing Fountain: Yikes! I'm not that good in descriptions! But I'll give it a try :) Thanks for the review :)

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Timra: Aww!! Thanks!! :):)

Chapter 21 - Welcome Back Isabel

Lia's scar hurt badly while she was tied to a chair in the cottage at the swamp. She was sweating and breathing hard. Wormtail kept staring at her, wondering what was wrong. Bellatrix entered the cottage with a mug full of water.

"Drink this." She said as she put the mug at Lia's lips.

Lia turned her face away, but Bellatrix pulled her back. "I said drink!"

"Get… away… from… me." Lia said between gasps for air.

"Bella, why isn't she able to breath? Do you think we tied her too tight?" Wormtail whispered.

"No, I don't think so. There must be something else." Bellatrix replied. "Come on girl, drink this I said. It's just water."

"I'm… not… thirsty!" Lia replied.

"What water is that?" Wormtail whispered to Bellatrix.

"It's the swamp water." Bellatrix whispered back. "It will make her sleep."

At that moment, Voldemort came out of the basement. He took off his cloak and put it aside. Lia stared at his skully face and her heart started to beat faster, which made her scar hurt more.

Voldemort looked at her and he walked closer to her. "Looks like you're having a little problem there." He said.

Lia kept staring at him, trying her best not to faint.

"I believe I know what is causing you such discomfort." Voldemort said. He put his hands on her shirt and ripped it. Lia gasped in horror. "Ah! Just as I suspected. It seems that the Potter blood has the habit of leaving scars that are quite useful sometimes." Voldemort said and a smile formed on his face.

"So that's why she's breathing hard!" Bellatrix said. "Master, what should we do with her now?"

"She must meet Isabel." Voldemort hissed. "My friend wants to see her."

"Yes Master." Bellatrix said and with a wave of her wand, the ropes around Lia disappeared, which made Lia fall to the ground.

"How touching." Voldemort hissed. "Wormtail, bring her to the basement."

"Yes Master." Wormtail said and picked Lia up from the ground. He held her tight and took her down to the basement.

"Bella, this place should be clean by the time we return. I'm sure that my friend would like to see her cottage clean."

"As you wish Master." Bellatrix replied with a bow.

Lia's face was pale and covered by cold sweat and she was shaking. When they reached the basement Voldemort looked at the skeleton lying in the dusty coffin in the middle of the room.

"Isabel, she's here." He said.

The skeleton let out a long breath that was more like a hiss. "Bring her closer, let her hold my hand."

"Do it Wormtail." Voldemort said.

Wormtail dragged Lia closer to the coffin and took Lia's hand and put it in the witch's bony hand. Lia felt colder, she felt like her heart was about to stop beating. She was too weak to do something.

"Your soul is mine to keep. Your body is mine to use." The witch said. "It's time for your wand Voldemort."

Voldemort took out his wand and put it on Lia's hand. "For evil you shall serve. For glory you shall live." He said.

A green light shone from the hands of the two women, which grew bigger and filled the room.

Lia felt like she was being stabbed in her heart and like she was being choked at the same time. She tilted her head back with her eyes wide opened.

"H-Harry…" she called and her eyes and hair changed their color into black and her hair grew longer and reached her waist.

Lia stood there now like nothing has happened. Wormtail let go of her and took a few steps back. She turned to look at Voldemort and smiled.

"Hello Voldemort." She said.

"It's nice to see you back Isabel." He replied and pulled her to him. He moved his bony hand through her hair. "I missed you."

"I missed you too my friend." She replied.

****

O o O o O

Sirius was showing Harry and Ron around the castle and suddenly Harry stopped and put his hand on his scar.

"What's wrong mate?" Ron asked.

"My scar. It hurts."

"What is it?" Sirius asked.

"Harry's scar hurts whenever there's something wrong." Ron explained. Little he knew that the man who stood in front of him knew everything about that scar.

Sirius' face went pale. "Er… what should we do?" he asked trying to act, as he doesn't know anything about the scar.

"I don't know. Harry, do you feel something else?" Ron asked.

"Only pain." Harry said and suddenly the room started to move in circles in front of him and it went dark.

"Harry!" Ron called as he held his friend so he wouldn't hit the ground.

"Let me help." Sirius said and picked Harry up and put him on a couch. "Go get the others." He told Ron.

"Alright." Ron said and ran out of the room.

"Harry, can you hear me?" Sirius asked.

Harry opened his eyes and screamed. "LIA!"

"Harry calm down!" Sirius said.

"He has done something to her." Harry said. He was shaking.

Remus entered the room running, followed by Snape and McGonagall.

"Harry are you alright?" Remus asked.

"He has done something, he killed her!" Harry said and broke into tears.

"This can't be." Remus said.

"He can't kill her!" Sirius said. "He needs her alive for something!"

"I will call professor Dumbledore." Professor McGonagall said. She took out a small mirror from her pocket and looked at it. "Mirror, show me Albus Dumbledore."

The mirror shimmered and cracked until it revealed Dumbledore sitting at his office.

"Albus can you hear me?" McGonagall said.

Dumbledore picked up a mirror and looked at it. "Minerva! What a pleasant surprise! Harry and Ron are practicing Quidditch at this moment. Do you have any good news?"

"Well, unfortunately I have two bad news instead." She replied.

"Alright then, tell me." Dumbledore said with his calm voice.

"Harry and Ron are here. They have found their way through the passage in the Forbidden Forest."  
"But Snow White has turned off the mirror. Who opened it?"

"It was… William." McGonagall said and Dumbledore nodded. He knew that she was speaking near Harry and they didn't want him to know that Sirius was alive.

"Alright, and what's the other news?" Dumbledore asked.

"Harry has just passed out. When he woke up he said that Voldemort has done something to Lia."

Dumbledore was silent for a while. McGonagall looked at Harry, who was pale and shaking, while Remus and Sirius were trying to calm him.

"Minerva, please tell Severus that I am asking him to use occlumency and read Harry's mind. I hope that we can find something helpful."

"Alright Albus." McGonagall said and put the mirror back in her pocket.

****

O o O o O

"How about a little celebration my dear?" Isabel said.

"Of course. First…" Voldemort waved his wand at her, and the clothes that Lia was wearing has turned into a black dress that reached the ground and it was decorated by diamonds. "Now we can celebrate you return my dear."

Isabel smiled. "Let's go upstairs. I'm sick of this place." She said and they all went out of the basement.

****

O o O o O

Ron came back with Wolf, Tony, Virginia and Wendell. Cinderella followed them slowly.

"What kept you so long?" Sirius asked, looking at Ron angrily.

"I was explaining what happened." Ron replied and came closer to Sirius to whisper in his ear. "I had to repeat everything three times until Tony understood what was going on."

"Oh I see." Sirius said.

"We have to go and find her." Harry said, still shaking violently.

"We will Harry." Remus said.

Professor McGonagall pulled Snape to a side. "Severus, I have just spoke to Albus and he is asking you to read Harry's mind, to see if you can find something useful."

"Why couldn't you do it Minerva?" Snape asked. "The headmaster knows that I do not with to open my mind for Potter, and we do not have a penseive here."

"You know that you are better in Occlumency than any other of us." McGonagall replied.

Snape sighed. "Alright, but I will not do it again, no matter what are the circumstances."

"I do hope that we will not need to do it again." McGonagall replied.

Snape turned to look at Harry with his cold eyes. "Potter, follow me."

Harry looked confused and got up. Ron helped him, as he was still in shock.

"He can walk on his own Weasley." Snape snapped.

"I'm only trying to help!" Ron said. "You can see that he's shaking!"

"I am not going to repeat my words Mr. Weasley." Snape said and left the room.

"Greasy git." Sirius muttered and Ron heard him. He turned to look at Sirius with a raised eyebrow.

"I can go alone Ron. Don't worry." Harry said.

"Alright mate." Ron said and let go of Harry.

Harry left the room and followed Snape to another room. Ron went to sit next to Sirius.

"Excuse me Sir, but I heard you call Snape a greasy git." Ron whispered.

"And he is a greasy git." Sirius replied.

"I have no doubt about it. But I wanted to ask how do you know him, if you two have just met?"

Sirius didn't expect that question. "Er… well, you can tell what kind of a person he is at first sight." Sirius said. '_Phew! That was close!_' he thought.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Ron said. "I just hope that he won't say something harsh to Harry."

"He won't." Professor McGonagall said. "Professor Dumbledore has asked him for a favor, and that's why he took Harry to another room."

"Not Occlumency again!" Remus said.

"Albus wants to know if we can get some useful information from Harry that he cannot recall. Sometimes we cannot remember things but they are in our minds." McGonagall said.

"Poor Harry!" Ron said. "I hope that Snape won't treat him like he did last year during his Occlumency lessons."

"He doesn't have his penseive around, so don't worry." Sirius said.

Professor McGonagall shot him an angry look.

"Oops!" Sirius said.

"How do you know about the penseive?" Ron asked.

"Well…" Sirius said. "I…"

"I told him about it." Wolf said.

"You did?" Remus asked.

"Yeah!" Wolf looked into Remus' eyes as to tell him to shut up. "Huff-puff! Remus you're losing your memory, you know. You told me about the penseive on the full moon night, and I told William about it. It's such an interesting thing."

"Oh… yeah… I remember." Remus said, moving his hand through his hair.

Ron looked at them suspiciously.

Wolf dragged Remus to a side. "I saved your bacons and you better tell me later what a penseive is!" Wolf whispered.

"I promise to do so. Thanks a lot." Remus whispered back.

"What are we going to do next?" Wendell asked.

"We will wait until Severus and Harry return and then we can start our plans." McGonagall replied.

Little they knew that they wouldn't be able to find Lia, as the Swamp Witch has possessed her body and soul.


	22. You Can't Stop Me

Laughing Fountain: Thanks! I'll do my best :)

Miss Piratess: Yeah... but don't worry. They already know.

Timra: Not really. But you can say so :( no worries though. I won't leave her like that :)

Chapter 22 - You Can't Stop Me.

Harry followed Snape into a separate room and closed the door after him as he entered.

"What is it Professor?" Harry asked.

Snape turned around to face Harry as he spoke. "As much as I hate to admit it Potter, but we have to use Occlumency to read your mind. Professor Dumbledore thinks that you might have had a vision that you can't remember. Or… I'd say, you do not want to tell."

"But I didn't have any vision!" Harry said with his eyes wide opened. He remembered his last Occlumency lessons with Snape where he found out about how his father treated Snape when they were younger. "I only felt that Voldemort has done something to Lia, but I didn't see anything!"

"We shall see about that Potter." Snape said coldly. "Now, do not try to resist as I want to check your memory about the last event." He added as he took out his wand.

"But Professor…"

"Do not resist the spell Potter." Snape said and pointed his wand at Harry. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, whatever." Harry muttered and closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. He knew that he couldn't do anything to make Snape change his mind.

"Legilimens!" Snape said and Harry felt the room spin around him.

__

Snape saw himself dragging Lia into a basement where there was an old coffin in the middle, covered with dust and cobwebs. A skeleton was lying in it and it came to life as Voldemort spoke to it. Snape couldn't hear the conversation. He only saw himself pulling Lia's hand and putting it on the skeleton's hand. After a moment, Voldemort joined them by putting his wand on their hands and he muttered something that Snape couldn't hear. A green light shot out of the hands and Snape could hear Lia calling Harry's name. The green light became stronger and it filled the room.

Snape opened his eyes to see himself lying on the ground. He got up and straightened his robes and saw Harry lying on the ground unconscious. He went closer to Harry and picked him up and carried him to a couch.

Harry opened his eyes and felt himself sweating and shaking. He looked around and saw Snape standing next to him.

"Did… did you see it?" Harry asked with a shaky voice. Snape nodded coldly without saying anything.

At that moment Sirius came into the room.

"We must leave now, we are not going to wait for the council meeting. Snow White has just appeared and told us to go to the Swamp."

"But how are we going to find our way?" Harry asked as he sat up.

"Wolf and Virginia are coming with us." Sirius said. "Wendell and Tony are going to stay along with Professor McGonagall and Cinderella."

"We can apparate to the Swamp." Snape said. "There would be no need for anyone to come with us."

"We who?" Harry asked.

"Me and Lupin, Potter." Snape said.

"I'm not going to stay here while my cousin is in Voldemort's hands!" Harry said. "And you can't stop me."

"I admit Potter, that you are as stubborn as your father." Snape said and shot a look at Sirius, who was turning red with anger. "But I'm afraid that you must accept the fact that Voldemort is expecting you, and Professor Dumbledore would like to see you alive after all this is over." He continued calmly.

"Be ready in fifteen minutes." Sirius said, trying to control himself. If he could just punch Snape in the face! "No one is going to apparate and the trip might take us a few days." He said and left the room.

"Pathetic." Snape muttered after Sirius.

Harry got up and left the room. He went back to the room, where everyone else was waiting, Snape followed him shortly.

"How did it go Severus?" Professor McGonagall asked.

Snape told them what he saw in Harry's mind. Professor McGonagall gasped and put her hand on her mouth. Remus and Sirius looked at each other with shock. Ron, Harry, Virginia and Tony didn't know what all that meant, but Wolf, Wendell and Cinderella looked at each other with obvious horror in their eyes.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

Wolf scratched his temple nervously and muttered "Huff-puff!" while he paced the room.

"This is bad. This is so bad." He kept repeating. "Cripes! What are we going to do?"

"CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS WRONG?!" Harry asked angrily.

Wolf looked at Harry and whimpered. Wendell looked at Cinderella as to ask her if he should tell them or not. Cinderella nodded and Wendell took a deep breath.

"The Swamp Witch is back." He said.

"WHAT?!" Tony and Virginia shouted together.

"And… what's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked.

"The Swamp Witch is Snow White's evil stepmother. She has been dead for more than two hundred years. She has been the most powerful evil witch the nine kingdoms have ever known." Wendell said.

"It seems that she has used an old kind of magic to bring her back to life." Cinderella said. "Professor Snape, I believe you said Lia's hand has touched her and then Voldemort added his wand?"

"Yes." Snape replied.

Cinderella sighed. "That kind of magic hasn't been used for more than a thousand years."

"What should we do now?" Virginia asked.

"You heard Snow White, she said we must leave now." Wolf said.

"Wait a minute!" Harry said. "What about Lia? What happened to her?"

"I'm afraid we lost her." Cinderella said.

Harry's face went pale and he took a few steps back shaking his head. "Y-you're kidding, right? She can't be dead. I don't believe you!"

"Harry calm down." Remus said as he walked to Harry's side.

"How can you tell me to calm down?" Harry said with tears in his eyes. "First, I lost Sirius, and now Lia! And you tell me to calm down?"

Sirius felt his heart being torn as he saw how Harry felt. He wanted to tell him that he was there and he will never leave him anymore, but a sound in him told him to keep his mouth shut. Wolf stared at Sirius with pity. He wanted to help, but he knew he couldn't.

"What is this magic anyway?" Tony asked. "What does it do?"

"The dead person possesses the body of the living person. No one knows what happens to the soul." Wendell said.

"They say that it is trapped in something that the dead person worships, but if that object is harmed or broken the soul will be gone forever." Wolf added.

"Like they would die?" Tony asked.

"Yes." Wendell said.

"So I guess we need to find that object to set Lia's soul free?" Sirius asked.

"Somehow, yes." Wendell said. "But we have to be careful not to break it. The legend says that there is a way to bring back the soul into the body, but I don't know where to find that information."

"If only Hermione was here." Ron whispered. "She would've known."

"But the dead person, who took the body can easily break that object so he or she would get rid of the soul." Remus said.

"They can't. That's why the soul is put into a precious object of the 'evil' person. He can't break it because it's so precious to him, and no one can break it because they wouldn't want to lose their close ones." Wendell said. "Did I make sense?"

"Guess so." Tony said.

"I will ask professor Dumbledore about this. I'm sure he would know something." Professor McGonagall said.

"What about the spell that hit the kingdoms?" Virginia asked.

"It can be finished only by destroying the caster of the spell." McGonagall replied.

"That means Voldemort must be killed?" Wolf asked.

"Exactly." Remus said.

"Are we going to stand here and talk?" Sirius said. "We better leave now!"

"Who's coming?" Wolf asked.

"Me, Severus, Si… William," Remus said and Harry looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Virginia and you Wolf." Remus continued, ignoring Harry's stern look.

"I'm coming too." Harry said.

"Yeah, and me too." Ron joined him.

"You're not going anywhere." Sirius said.

"You can't stop me." Harry snapped at Sirius.

"Oh yeah?" Sirius said and walked forward to Harry. He was about to say something when Remus stepped in between them.

"I think that no one can convince Harry to change his mind now Prince William." Remus said and looked at Sirius. "The last time we tried to do such thing… well, you don't want to know what happened." Remus was trying to tell Sirius that making Harry stay at the palace might result in another disaster like the one that happened at the Department of Mysteries a couple of months ago.

Sirius shrugged and turned away. "Whatever you say Moony." He muttered.

Harry's mind was busy thinking about his cousin and he didn't notice Ron's strange look when William called Remus "Moony". Remus has never told his nickname to anyone other than the Marauders. Why did he tell William about it? Ron couldn't find an answer.

****

O o O o O

Voldemort escorted Isabel out of the basement. She looked around and smiled.

"It's good to see my little house again." She said.

"You'll live in a palace soon my dear friend." Voldemort said. "We've waited so long and now the nine kingdoms will be ours to rule."

Isabel turned to look at Voldemort. "Yes. If Christine hasn't failed in accomplishing my plans we would've been ruling the kingdoms sooner than this. But that Virginia came and ruined everything." her smile faded as she remembered her encounter with Virginia.

Virginia was lost in the Swamp after three little pixies separated her from her father and she came across the cottage accidentally. Acorn the dwarf has been living at the cottage at that time and he told her that the Swamp Witch was buried in the basement of the cottage. Virginia went down to the basement and took a poisoned comb out of the hands of the dead witch. Then at Wendell's Coronation Ball she has used it to kill the Evil Queen, who happened to be her own mother.

"I'll make sure that you get your revenge." Voldemort hissed.

"I will be delighted to make her suffer." Isabel said. "I'll make her dance in iron slippers just like Snow White made me dance at her wedding. She will learn how it is to be humiliated in front of hundreds of people. She will have her feet burned and I'll make sure that she lives to see her beloved ones get killed in front of her eyes." Isabel laughed and Voldemort joined her.

"What a wonderful way to die." He said.

Bellatrix and Wormtail were watching the two powerful wizard and witch, and they smiled.

"Isabel, let me introduce you to my faithful Death Eaters." Voldemort said. "This is Bellatrix Lestrange. You can trust her in any thing." He said pointing at Bellatrix.

"How interesting." Isabel said. "Nice to meet you Bellatrix."

"It's an honor to meet you my lady." Bellatrix bowed.

"And this is Peter Pettigrew, known as Wormtail." Voldemort said and pointed to Wormtail, who bowed instantly. "He is a coward, but faithful nonetheless."

"I hope that he'll have enough courage to do as he is told." Isabel said.

"I'll always be at your service my lady." Wormtail said.

"Master," Bellatrix spoke. "I hope that I'm not intruding, but I am curious about what happened to the girl."

"I'm glad that you asked Bella." Voldemort said. "As you can see, my dearest friend Isabel is back to life. She has possessed the body of the girl and the soul is being kept in a secret place."

"My Master never stops to amaze me." Bellatrix said. "What a wonderful work." She smiled proudly.

"Thank you Bella." Voldemort replied.

"Voldemort, I think that you need a change too." Isabel said. "You look so pale in this form."

"Harry Potter has caused me to lose my human form long time ago and since then I couldn't return." Voldemort said. "But this time, I'll make him pay. He has no place in this world."

"I agree. But until that day, let me help you." Isabel said and waved her hand at Voldemort.

She smiled at her achievement. Bellatrix and Wormtail stared at Voldemort with opened mouths. Voldemort walked to a mirror and looked at his reflection. There he was Tom Marvolo Riddle, in the flesh. He smiled at himself and turned to look at Isabel.

"I'm glad to have a loyal friend as you. Although you were also a Slytherin, but you could've made a good Hufflepuff too." He said.

"Do not remind me of that house please. It was full of filthy Mudbloods." Isabel said.

"Yes of course, how could I forget? But your loyalty never stops to amaze me."

"Slytherins were loyal to each other nonetheless." Isabel said.

"At our time it was. However, time has changed and the Slytherin house has lost its prestige. We shall bring the good name of the Slytherin back."

Isabel laughed. "Oh I can't wait to see Dumbledore's face when he loses control over the school."

"But first, we must rule the kingdoms. We will have our army and then we'll plan our next move." Voldemort hissed.

****

O o O o O

Everyone was ready to leave the palace. Harry felt nervous about the trip and Ron kept staring at Sirius. He was suspecting something, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

"Everyone ready?" Remus asked and they all nodded. "Alright then, Wolf, Virginia lead the road please."

They started to walk toward the forest. Wolf leading the way, while Virginia and the others followed him.

"I really wish Hermione was here." Ron said.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"She would've known what to do. I bet that she would know where to find Lia and how to save her."

"I guess you're right." Harry said. "But now that we're here, there's no way we can contact her."

"If we could get in touch with Professor Dumbledore." Ron said. "But looks like only Professor McGonagall has a mirror to talk to him. And we should've thought about this when we were still at the palace." Ron said.

"How far is the Swamp?" Remus asked.  
"A day and half of non stop walk." Wolf replied.

"Non stop?" Sirius complained. "You don't expect me to walk for a day and a half without a stop!"

"As a matter of fact, we do." Remus said.

"Thank you very much." Sirius muttered and continued walking.

Ron and Harry looked at each other and managed to keep their laugh to themselves.

"This guy reminds me of Sirius." Harry said.

"Yeah, he acts like him sometimes." Ron replied.

"Too bad Sirius isn't with us now."

Sirius heard Harry's last sentence and he stopped. He wanted to say it. He couldn't keep this a secret anymore. Every time Harry mentioned his name, Sirius felt like the world was crashing upon him. He felt sorry for causing such pain to Harry and he couldn't take it anymore.

Everyone turned to look at Sirius who stopped suddenly. Remus looked at him and knew instantly what was on his mind. He walked toward Sirius and grabbed his arm.

"Don't even think of it!" Remus whispered.


	23. Burly, The Troll King

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Laughing Fountain: They don't want him to know because they think that Voldemort will start playing with his mind again and Sirius or someone else might really get killed this time. And I can't halp it with the 'said'..lol!!

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Timra: Yeah poor them!

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Miss Piratess: Thanks!! When are you going to update???

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Chapter 23 - Burly, The Troll King

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"Nothing Harry." Remus replied and pulled Sirius away from the others. "What are you trying to prove?" he asked Sirius.

"I'm not trying to prove anything! I just feel sorry for Harry that's all! I want him to know the truth!" Sirius replied as he pulled his arm away from Remus.

"He isn't supposed to know yet Sirius! Can't you wait a little?"

"It's been over a month and the boy can't get the stupid idea of my death out of his mind!" Sirius snapped.

"He will know at the end! But we can't risk it now! Please Sirius, let us reach the Swamp peacefully." Remus said in a calm voice.

"Are you two going to talk forever?" Wolf called. "We don't have much time you know!"

"We're coming!" Remus said and turned to Sirius. "Promise that you won't tell Harry that you're alive."

"I'm sorry Moony, but I won't. I won't tell him anything but I'm not promising anything either." Sirius said and joined the others.

Remus sighed and followed him.

"What was that all about?" Harry asked Remus.

"He just feels nervous, that's all." Remus replied.

Ron gave Remus a suspecting look. He knew that Remus didn't tell the truth and he was hiding something that concerned William. It seemed that they knew each other for a long time and not just a couple of hours. Ron needed to find out about everything about William, but how? He didn't know.

Sirius kept muttering curses at Remus as they all kept walking. He wanted to tell Harry everything, but he also feared that Voldemort might somehow know about him. He didn't know what would Voldemort's benefit be from knowing that he's alive, but since Dumbledore and Snow White have instructed him to keep his mouth shut, he decided to do so. Although, he wasn't sure how long he would be able to keep his mouth shut.

Virginia was humming a song as they walked and she suddenly froze in her tracks as she noticed a campus not so far from them.

"Wolf?" she called.

"What is it honey?"

"Do you see what I see?"

Wolf looked at the direction where Virginia was looking and he scratched his temple violently.

"Cripes! This isn't good." He said.

"What is it?" Remus asked.

"A troll." Wolf said.

"But aren't everyone in the kingdoms supposed to be sleeping?" Ron asked.

"Yes, but huff-puff! This must be their new king!" Wolf said.

"Do you think it's one of Relish's children?" Virginia asked.

"Who's Relish?" Sirius asked and Ron glared at him.

"Isn't he supposed to know already?" Ron whispered to Harry.

"Yeah, if he really is Wendell's brother." Harry replied.

"Relish was the king of trolls." Wolf said. "He was killed by the Evil Queen. He had three children who were as stupid as a rabbit!"

"So I think one of them has become their ruler." Virginia said. "This one looks like a male. It's either Burly or Bluebell."

"Weird names." Muttered Ron.

"Tell me about it!" Sirius said.

"I think we should continue walking. We can avoid him if he would come our way." Wolf said.

"We can just hex him or something." Ron said.

"This isn't time for your games Weasley." Snape said.

"I didn't want to…"

"Do not argue with me Weasley." Snape said before Ron could continue what he wanted to say.

Ron growled at Snape and turned to look at the troll. Wolf scratched his temple while he was thinking of a way to keep him away from them. Even if they were more than he was, the troll would possibly be able to kill one of them.

They started walking again and kept close to each other. Harry and Ron kept their hands close to their wands as they saw Remus and Snape do the same.

As they approached the troll, Virginia let out a gasp. "It's Burly!"

"Stay close to me." Wolf told her and she nodded.

Burly the troll was that eldest son of Relish, the troll king. He was a bit smarter than his sister and brother, but that didn't make a huge difference. Trolls were known to be stupid and all they thought of was leather and shoes.

Burly saw the group approaching and he took out a dagger out of his pocket. Wolf growled when he saw Burly heading straight at their direction and his eyes flashed yellow for a moment.

"You!" Burly said as he saw Wolf and Virginia with the group. "I bet you did this to the kingdoms!"

"Wait a minute!" Virginia said. "We didn't do anything!"

"Why are you here anyway?" Wolf asked.

"I'm trying to find the person who made all of my people fall into a sleep!" Burly said.

"We are doing the same." Remus said.

"They are here with you! This witch is the source of problems in the kingdoms! She has killed my father and then she killed the queen! You'll pay for it!" Burly said and jumped forward at Virginia.

"Expelliarmus!" Snape said and Burly's dagger flew out of his hand. He looked at Snape with a shock.

"Stupefy!" Harry said and Burly fell to the ground motionless before he could act.

"Nice work Harry!" Ron said.

"Thanks." Virginia said and turned to look at Burly. "That was close."

"It was nothing." Harry said with a smile.

"Let's go now." Sirius said. "We don't have much time!"

"We can't just leave him here." Virginia said.

"Of course we can!" Wolf said. "Huff-puff! He tried to kill you Virginia!"

"Still, we can't leave him like this!" Virginia replied and turned to Harry. "Is he dead?"

"No, he's stunned." Harry replied.

"If he's the ruler of the trolls now, maybe he should know about the meeting." Sirius said.

"And he should be there!" Virginia added. "Harry, is there a way to bring him back to life?"

"Yes, but I think it would be dangerous to do that." Harry replied.

"We should tie him up first." Remus said and pointed his wand at Burly. "Incarcerous!" Ropes came out of the wand and wrapped themselves around Burly's body.

"Wow!" Wolf muttered.

"Ennervate!" Harry said and Burly opened his eyes.

"Suck an elf!" he cursed as he felt himself tied with ropes. "Get these ropes off me!"

"Yeah, right!" Virginia said.

"You dirty witch!" Burly snapped. "I'll kill you once I get free!"

"Shut up and listen troll!" Snape said.

Burly didn't see who was speaking to him as Snape was standing above his head, and Burly's eyes were fixed on Virginia. He looked around and saw some new faces that he has never seen before.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" he asked.

"That's none of your business." Virginia said. "Now listen to me carefully. You already know that a spell has been cast on the kingdoms, and everyone is asleep, except for the rulers of each kingdom. So I assume you're the new king of trolls?"

"Yes." Burly replied.

"I see. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that we already know who did this and we're going after him. And there's a meeting being planned for the rulers of each kingdom. They will be gathering at King Wendell's palace."

"So what?"

"Since you are the ruler of the Third Kingdom, I must inform you that you are also welcomed to join that meeting."

"No way!" Wolf said.

"He has the right to do so, Wolf." Virginia said and turned back to Burly. "Now, are you going to the meeting?"

"What if I don't?" Burly asked.

"We'll just leave you here and go." Wolf said.

"I'll go!" Burly said, fearing to be left tied up in the middle of no-where. "Just untie me first."

"Do you promise to leave at once, and without harming any one of us?" Virginia asked.

"Yeah! I do! Oh suck an elf! Hurry up and untie me!" Burly said.

Virginia looked at Remus and nodded. Remus pointed his wand at Burly and muttered another spell that made the ropes disappear. Burly stood up happily and adjusted the crown on his head.

"I'll get my revenge after all of this is over." He said as he looked at Virginia. Wolf, however, stood in front of Virginia as to protect her and growled at Burly with yellow eyes. Burly left them and walked in the direction that led to Wendell's castle.

The road to the Swamp was clear and silent. There was no sign of living people around. Everyone felt tired now. They have been walking for hours without a rest. The encounter with Burly was their first actual stop, but it wasn't enough to have a rest from a day long walk.

Wolf kept sniffing the air as they walked but he couldn't smell anything strange. It seemed like no one has ever passed this way for a long time. Suddenly, he finally caught a scent. It was a week smell, but it was familiar.

"Huff-puff!" Wolf gasped and smiled.

"What is it Wolf?" Virginia asked.

"I can smell your scent Virginia."

"Of course you can! I'm right here with you!"

"No, it's not that. You and Tony came through this way about a month ago!" Wolf said.

"And what does that have to do with us?" Snape asked.  
"They walked this way when they were heading to the Swamp!" Wolf said.

"Is it strong?" Remus asked. "Can you use it to get us there quickly?"

"It's not strong, but it might help." Wolf replied. "Let's go…" he sniffed again. "This way!" he followed the scent and everyone followed him.


	24. The Council Of The Nine Kingdoms

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Kerushie: Thanks! :)

**Laughing Fountain: **Thanks! Ron is being genius these days ;)

**Miss Piratess:** lol! Well, he's here too!

Chapter 24 - The Council Of The Nine Kingdoms

Next day, Wendell was pacing nervously in his office, while Cinderella and Professor McGonagall were drinking tea.

Wendell was feeling nervous about the upcoming meeting. He was sure that the rulers of the kingdoms were furious about the sudden sleep of their subjects but none of them knew the reason to that.

Tony stared out of the window and saw a woman approaching. She was wearing a red gown and a red cloak over. Tony knew her instantly. Queen Red Riding Hood III was the first to arrive to the palace. From what he could see, she was extremely angry. After a little bit he saw another woman approaching. She was flying. She had pointed ears and her wings reflected the color of the rainbow.

"Leaf Fall is here too." Tony said. "She and Red Riding Hood III are the first to arrive."

"I wonder if the Ice Queen is coming." Cinderella asked.

"I don't know. She has been isolated from the others for a long time now." Wendell sat on his chair, behind his desk. "But I do hope that the Naked Emperor would put on some clothes. There's no one to hold up feathers around him to cover his nudity!"

"The Naked Emperor?" McGonagall asked.

"His grandson in fact." Cinderella said. "But he is as stubborn as any other member of his family. They believe that they are wearing magical clothes!"

"Goodness me." McGonagall said and took a sip of her tea.

"WENDELL! WHAT ON THE FAIRYING FOREST IS GOING ON HERE?" Queen Red Riding Hood III came into the office.

"Nice to see you too Red." Wendell replied in his calm voice.

The young queen turned around and saw Cinderella sitting with a woman. "Oh, excuse me. I didn't notice that you were here." She said. "Sir Anthony, I see that you're here too. Your Majesty." She bowed to Cinderella and turned to professor McGonagall. "I don't believe we have met before."

"This is Professor Minerva McGonagall from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Cinderella said.

"Hogwarts? But that's only in books." Red said.

"It does exist in fact." McGonagall said.

Queen Riding Hood III smiled. "How interesting! It's nice to meet you Professor. Although this situation isn't nice at all."

"Yes, indeed." McGonagall said. "But I do hope that we will be able to break the spell."

"Good day everyone." Queen Leaf Fall entered the room. "I was looking for you for a while now."

"Hello Leaf Fall." Wendell said.

"Hello Wendell. Can you tell me what's going on?"

"It's a spell. A strong one." Wendell said.

Leaf Fall sighed and sat down.

"Are you alright dear?" Cinderella asked.

"If you leave out the fact that all of my people are dead, yeah, I'm fine." Leaf Fall replied with sarcasm in her voice.

"No one is dead." Wendell said.

"Wendell, my people are not human. Sleeping spells don't work on elves and fairies the same way they do on humans." Leaf Fall said.

Wendell remained silent.

"I wonder when are the others going to come?" Tony asked.

"I'm here!" said King Cole who entered the room.

After a few minutes the dwarf king arrived along with the Naked Emperor, who had a cloth wrapped around his waist. Wendell looked at him and smiled. At least he won't be embarrassed by the appearance of the nutty emperor now.

"Has any one heard from the Ice Queen?" Cinderella asked.

"I'm already here Cindy." The Ice Queen entered the room and everyone felt a chill pass their body. She was wearing a white cloak over a white gown decorated with crystals and icicles.

"Hello Blanche." Cinderella said. "It's nice to see you again."

The two queens embraced. Wendell stared at them wondering about this sudden friendship. He has never seen his grandmother being so friendly with the Ice Queen.

"Well, it seems that everyone is here." Wendell said. "So, I suggest that we start the meeting."

"What about the trolls?" asked the dwarf king.

"We do not know who is their new ruler. And since no one came from the Third Kingdom, then I think they still don't have a ruler." Wendell replied. At that moment the door opened and Burly, the troll king entered. Everyone looked at him with shock, especially Wendell. For Burly has been one of the three trolls who wanted to capture him and take him to the Evil Queen.

"The witch Virginia told me that there's a meeting here." Burly said with his grumpy voice.

"Indeed." Said Cinderella and Tony made a loud "Humph!" at how Burly said his daughter's name.

"Well, let's start then." Said Queen Red Riding Hood III.

"Yes. Let's go to the meeting hall." Wendell went into the meeting hall and sat at the head of the table. All the other kings and queens joined him, as well as Professor McGonagall.

"My dear friends." Wendell started. "As you all know the nine kingdoms have been hit by a sleeping spell. We already know who has done this, and we've sent a group to the Deadly Swamp where the caster of the spell is."

"The Deadly Swamp? That's in my kingdom!" Leaf Fall said. "How come we never saw a sign of a spell being cast?"

"Because the spell was cast in the Fourth Kingdom." Professor McGonagall said. "As it borders all the other kingdoms, and it's also in the center of the region. And that helps in casting a spell that is supposed to spread out."

"But who did it?" asked King Cole.

"A dark wizard, called Voldemort." Wendell said. To his and McGonagall's surprise the Ice Queen gasped.

"Voldemort is here?" she asked.

"It seems so, yes." Wendell said.

"How do you know about him?" Cinderella stared at her old friend.

"I met him once. About sixteen years ago."

"Sixteen?" McGonagall asked she remembered the tragedy with the Potters that happened sixteen years ago.

"Yes, he needed my help."

"You helped Voldemort? The one that is trying to take over our kingdoms?" Queen Red Riding Hood III asked furiously.

"Red, that was sixteen years ago." Wendell said.

"What did he want?" McGonagall asked.

"He needed to learn a freezing charm that is done without a wand." The Ice Queen replied. "Although, he never learned it."

Professor McGonagall smiled. "That's good to know."

"Alright, back to the main subject." Wendell said. "Voldemort is not alone in all this. His ally is none other than the swamp witch."

Everyone in the room gasped. The swamp witch was the most powerful evil witch in the kingdoms and everyone fears her until this day, even when she's dead.

"But… how?" Leaf Fall asked.

"But she's dead, isn't she?" the dwarf king asked.

"She was." Cinderella said. "Just a couple of hours ago, someone here witnessed her return. She and Voldemort have used the old magic of Merlin to bring her back to life."

"And what is the old magic of Merlin?" Queen Red Riding Hood III asked.

"They use the body of a living person and replace the souls." Cinderella said. "It's complicated and dangerous."

"As I said before, we have sent a group to the swamp this yesterday." Wendell said. "Virginia Lewis and Wolf are with them."

"Then we have nothing to worry about!" said the Naked Emperor. "They can take care of everything! They saved the kingdoms before!"

"That was different." Wendell said, obviously loathing that person. "Virginia and Wolf are accompanied by our friends from the wizarding world. One of them is a boy, who is supposed to be the only one who can truly kill Voldemort."

"But the wizarding world is just in books. It's a legend." Leaf Fall said.

"It isn't." Professor McGonagall said. "I am here with you now, and I am from the wizarding world."

Queen Leaf Fall's jaw dropped and she quickly straightened herself. "That's amazing. No one was able to get there before. I wonder how did you come here?"

"We have our own ways." McGonagall replied.

"Wendell," the dwarf king said. "What are we to do now?"

"Each one of use should stay in his or her palace and wait. If the group fails it's task, then we will defend our kingdoms separately."

At that moment four people appeared in the room and everyone turned to look at them wondering about whom were they, except for professor McGonagall who looked rather pale.

****

O o O o O

As they reached the edge of the swamp, Wolf stopped.

"We're here."

"I hate this place." Virginia said.

"I looks scary." Ron said.

"You can wait here Mr. Weasley." Snape said and Ron looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"We better move on." Wolf said.

"I'm tired!" Sirius said.

"It's no time to be tired Si… William." Remus said and Ron stared at him. "We are here and we can't wait for you to get some rest."

"You go then! I'll stay here and catch my breath!" Sirius snapped. He was tired of a day and a half of walking.

"Huff-puff, if you want to wait here, that's okay." Wolf said. "If there's anyone one else who wants to stay, that's okay too. The rest, follow me."

Sirius stayed at the edge of the swamp and lay down under a tree, while everyone else walked through the swamp.

"Where's the cottage?" Virginia asked.

"I'm not sure." Wolf said and sniffed the air. "I can't smell anything! This place have such an amount of smells that I can't seem to find another scent!"

"Let's walk then. I'm sure we'll find it on our way." Virginia said and they all continued their way deeper into the Deadly Swamp.


	25. An Empty Cottage

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Miss Piratess: lol! You'll figure out with this chapter :) but they will be in the next chapter (I hope ;) )

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Laughing Fountain: Maybe he needed to learn a new charm.. who knows :) Cinderella and the Ice Queen used to be friends (weird huh? But I needed them to be friends) :)

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Timra: Yep. Ron has hidden brains! lol!!

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The Lord Of pencil: Thanks for the review :) Sorry for the short chapter, but I thought that if I made it longer it would've been just rambling around. So... I hope that you'll like this one ;)

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Chapter 25 - An Empty Cottage.

Sirius opened his eyes to find himself lying under a tree all alone in the darkness. He slept the whole day without even realizing it. He stood up and looked around. No one of his companions was there. He cursed himself and walked aimlessly.

---------------------------

"We've been walking all day!" Ron complained. "My feet hurt!"

"Stop complaining Ron. You're not the only one who's tired." Remus said.

The group was walking through the swamp in circles and none of them realized that. Each time they reached a spot, it kept changing its appearance to seem like they were there for the first time.

Snape was getting impatient. He muttered curses during the whole 'journey'. He wasn't familiar with this area and that's what kept him silent.

Ron and Harry were tired, but only Ron was complaining. Harry kept walking without a sound as he was thinking about his cousin and how to save her.

Wolf was sniffing the air furiously. He couldn't catch a specific scent. It seemed to him that the swamp had some kind of a scent blocker. After a few Huff-Puffs and Cripeses he came to a halt.

"What is it Wolf?" Virginia asked.

"I caught a scent."

"Whom does it belong to?" Remus asked.

"I'm not sure." Wolf sniffed the air again. "A female, that's for sure. This way!" he ran and the others followed him.

He kept sniffing and the scent led them to a small ruined cottage. Virginia gasped and then she smiled.

"We're here." She said.

"This is where they keep Lia?" Harry asked, and without waiting for an answer he ran to the cottage.

"Harry wait!" Ron said and followed him.

"Kids!" Wolf muttered.

"Let's follow them." Virginia said. "Looks like there's no one there."

A blue light erupted from the cottage and that made them run to it faster.

"What was that?" Snape asked as he entered.

Harry and Ron stared at the ground. Snape looked at the same direction as they were and saw a huge serpent lying there immobilized.

Wolf, Virginia and Remus entered the cottage and were surprised to see the serpent.

"Nagini." Snape said and turned to Harry. "You immobilized her?"

"Yes. It tried to attack us."

"Good work Harry!" Wolf said with amazement.

"Thanks Wolf." Harry smiled.

"Why don't we search for Lia instead of standing here?" Virginia suggested.

"At least there's one thinking head around." Snape said.

"Thank you professor." Virginia said, obviously not happy with his attitude. "Well, it's obvious that she's not here, so let's see the basement first."

She opened the door to the basement and went down. Everyone followed her and looked around.

"What a stinky place!" Ron said.

"At least the skeleton isn't here." Virginia said. "She was in an awful shape!"

"Let's not talk about her please." Wolf said. "Huff-puff! I get goose bumps each time I remember the witch!"

"I wonder where they are." Harry asked.

"If you ask me mate, I really don't want to know." Ron muttered and Harry glared at him. "I'm only expressing my opinion!" Ron said

"We have to search for something that was valuable for the witch." Remus said.

"What did she like most?" Harry turned to Virginia.

Virginia thought for a moment. "Mirrors!" she exclaimed. "She was obsessed with her mirrors!"

"I saw some outside!" Ron said and they all went upstairs and got out of the cottage. There were several broken mirrors lined behind each other and they were half in the ground.

Virginia, Snape and Remus examined the mirrors closely. They looked normal as they reflected their faces.

"They don't seem enchanted." Virginia said.

"They're not supposed to look enchanted." Wolf said. "Would've you thought that the Travelling Mirror was actually a magical one before turning it on?"

"I guess not." Virginia replied as she looked at the mirrors again.

"How can you activate them?" Remus asked.

"The Travelling Mirror had a small circle shaped handle that activated it." Virginia said. "But these don't seem to have any. The frames aren't the same as the Travelling Mirror."

"The queen had mirrors that were activated by just talking to them." Wolf said. "Some worked just by looking at them and some had secret handles. I don't know about these."

"What are these mirrors used for?" Harry asked.

"If we knew, we would've been able to activate them." Wolf said. "She must have used them for something though."

"What are we supposed to do now?" Ron asked.

"We have to go back to Wendell's palace." Virginia said. "The other mirrors are there."

"We can contact Professor McGonagall and tell her what we saw here." Harry said as he looked at Snape.

He had the mirror that McGonagall gave him. He took it out of his pocket and held it in front of his face. "Show me Minerva McGonagall." He said in a demanding voice.

The mirror cracked and shimmered until it showed a room that had a huge rectangular table in the middle. Different people were sitting around it and Professor McGonagall was also there. There was someone standing behind her with his wand pointing at her throat.

"Pettigrew." Snape muttered.

"Let me see!" Harry said and took the mirror from Snape. He frowned at the sight of the dirty hand holding the wand. Wormtail's face wasn't showing as the mirror was showing McGonagall, but the hand obviously belonged to a male, and it had a missing finger.

Snape took the mirror back from Harry and put it in his pocket. "The Dark Lord is already there." He said.

"Why do you keep calling him Dark Lord?" Ron asked. "It's not like you work for him."

Snape glared at Ron. He would've loved to give him a lifetime detention if they were during a school term, but to Snape's dismay it was only June. They still had a couple of months before the beginning of term.

"That's none of your business Mr. Weasley." Snape said with anger rising in his voice.

Ron shrugged and turned his face away from Snape.

"We should go back." Remus said. "But we can't apparate." He looked at Snape.

"We will go back in the same way we came."

"Anyone knows the way out of here?" Ron asked as he looked at Wolf.

"Well… no." Wolf said simply, like it was something that everyone knew. "We have to follow our scents out of here."

Harry looked at the sky. "I wish I had my Firebolt with me."

"I don't think that the Summoning Charm would work from here, Harry." Ron said. "I wish I had my broom with me too."

Ron really liked his new broom. He received it as a present from his parents for becoming a prefect.

"Why don't we try and bring them here anyway?" Harry asked. "All we need to do is concentrate on the place there are now." He closed his eyes and raised his wand and muttered: "Accio Firebolt!"

Nothing happened.

"Accio Firebolt!"

Nothing again.

"ACCIO FIREBOLT!!!"

"There's no use mate. We have to walk." Ron said and started to walk. After taking a few steps he stopped. "Anyone coming?"

They all walked close to each other on their way out of the swamp. Harry was pale. He couldn't find Lia anywhere in the swamp and he was getting nervous of the thought of her being dead. Ron tried his best not to speak to him, as he didn't want to say something that he would regret.

Wolf was muttering curses as he walked. His nose didn't help him at all at the swamp and he was ashamed of himself.

"Take it easy Wolf." Virginia said calmly. "I'm sure we can find her."

"I couldn't smell anything Virginia. It was like she has just vanished! Huff-Puff! This is scaring me." He said.

"Don't worry about it. Everything will be just fine." She said, but she wasn't sure about it herself. If Wolf couldn't smell Lia's scent, then it would mean one thing, and Virginia didn't want to think about it.

"How long would it take us to get back?" Ron asked.

"As much as it took us to reach the swamp Ron." Harry said. "Try to use your logic sometimes mate."

Ron sighed and continued walking. Remus was looking around and sniffing. He was trying to put his wolf senses into work, but it seemed that he had none while in human form.

"Remus." Wolf said as he approached him, leaving Virginia behind.

"Yes Wolf?"

"You know you don't have wolf instincts when you're in your human form, so I'd suggest that you stop sniffing."

Remus sighed. "I just wanted to help."

"I know. Your instincts start working only during the day of the full moon. A week before you just become nervous and touchy, but on that day your instincts rise and they fade on the next day."

"I've noticed that." Remus said. "I just can't believe that we lost her, that's all. I was so happy to find my best friend's daughter after all these years and I lost her again in less than a week."

"Huff-puff. It happened so fast."

Suddenly, Virginia felt something in her pocket and stopped. She took out what appeared to be a little leather sack.

"Wait!" she called and everyone stopped and turned to look at her.

Wolf ran to her side. "What's wrong?"

"Did you put this in my pocket?" she asked as she showed him the sack.

"No." he replied and turned to the others. "Did anyone put this in Virginia's pocket?"

"I didn't." Remus said.

Ron and Harry shook their head and Snape walked closer. "What does it contain?"

Wolf opened the sack and saw blue dust in it. His eyes opened wide in amazement.

"Travelling dust!" he said and gasped.

"Travelling dust? Do you know how did it end up in my pocket?" Virginia asked.

"I have no idea." Wolf replied.

"Do you know how to use it?" Snape asked.

"It looks like it should be used as floo powder." Ron said. "But do we need a fireplace?"

"What are you talking about Ron? What fireplace? This can take us wherever we want just by thinking about it." Wolf said as he looked at the blue powder. "I've never seen travelling dust before."

"Well, looks like you can use it now." Virginia said. "How about telling us what to do and then we'll just start leaving this place."

"Yeah, alright everyone. You must think of Wendell's palace and picture it in your mind. Then you throw the dust in the air and step under it. As soon as it touches you, you'll find yourself at the palace. Or at least somewhere near it. Virginia, you first."

Virginia took a little of the Travelling dust and closed her eyes. She imagined Wendell's palace and then, she threw the dust to the air and then she stepped under it. As soon as the dust touched her, she was gone.

"Wow! That was amazing!" Ron said and Harry shook his head at his friend's behavior.

"Ron, grow up." Harry said calmly and took a little of the dust. He closed his eyes and threw it into the air and stood under it. He disappeared as soon as it touched his head.

The others followed too. Wolf was the last to go as he checked that everyone has done it correctly.

Soon, all of them were standing in front of the huge Palace of White.

Harry looked around him. "Where's William?"

"Bloody hell!" Remus cursed. "He didn't come with us! That stupid git! I'll hex him as soon as I see him!"

"Remus, he's the prince of this place, he will find his way back." Harry said.

"I don't think so." Remus said, obvious concern in his voice and eyes.

At that moment, Sirius woke up and found himself alone in the darkness of the forest. He sat up and looked around him. There was no sign of a living creature in this place.

"Now what?" he said to himself. "How am I supposed to find the way back?"

He started walking through the forest until he reached a little cottage. It looked deserted and like no one has been living there for a while. He entered slowly and called:

"Anybody home?"

But no one replied and Sirius assumed that he can spend the rest of the night here after all. He walked in and saw a mirror on the wall. He stood in front of it and was shocked to see his original hair back. He touched his hair and kept staring at the mirror.

"Snow White's spell is fading!" He gasped.


	26. I Want My Body Back

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A/N: Sorry for the late update :) But I'm giving you two chapters!!

**Timra:** You'll find out in this chapter ;)

**kimmay:** Thanks! I'd like to read your fic :)

**Miss Piratess: **No worries! No one will :) I'm keeping him safe, but ol' Snape will be in BIG trouble after this ;)

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Chapter 26 - I Want My Body Back

Sirius was obviously confused by his own reflection in the mirror. He watched himself turn back to his original self.

"Bloody hell! What's going to happen next?" he asked himself. "SNOW WHITE! WHERE THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU?!" he called.

"I'm right here Sirius," Snow White said, "and you don't have to shout."

Sirius jumped at her sudden appearance and turned to face her.

"Look at me! I'm back to myself!"

Snow White smiled at him. "I thought a little vacation from the position of the prince would be nice for you."

"But what about the spell? Voldemort? What about Lia?"

"Your friends are now in the palace. They'll take care of Voldemort and his two followers. As for the spell, it won't effect you as I am still protecting you, and I have a special task for you."

"Me?"

"You must be the one to find Lia. If you find her, you can save her soul and take her to the palace. That way you'll help saving the kingdoms. The evil witch will return to where she belongs, to the deadly swamp, and Lia will be back." Snow White started to fade.

"Can I use my animagus form?"

"No."

Sirius frowned. "Where am I supposed to look for her then?"

"Follow the sign." Snow White said and disappeared.

"Great! This is ridiculous!" Sirius muttered. "How am I supposed to follow a sign that I don't even know?!" he sighed and looked around the room. His jaw dropped at the sight in front of him. There was a small rectangular table in the middle of the room with seven little chairs around it. There were seven lanterns hanging from the wall. Seven plates, spoons, forks, knives and glasses on the table. Sirius walked around the room and went to the second floor. He entered a room and saw seven little beds covered with small blankets, which had lost their color throughout the years. He left the room and entered another. This one had one normal sized bed. Sirius smiled. He knew this place. He has heard about it when he was young, before going to Hogwarts. This was the cottage of Snow White and the seven dwarves.

"Bloody brilliant." He said with a smile. "Who would've thought? Sirius Black, standing in the cottage of the famous seven dwarves."

He went back downstairs and saw that there was some food on the table with a note. He picked it up and read.

__

Enjoy your meal. You can sleep in my bed when you get tired. It's the only normal sized item there. I'm sorry that I can't keep you company in my own house, but I have work to do. Make yourself at home.

Snow White

"Thanks." Sirius said, hoping that Snow White would hear him. He took a seat on one of the chairs and started to eat. He didn't realize that he was hungry until he saw food.

After finishing his dinner, he went upstairs and entered the room, which contained the big bed. Without a second thought, he threw himself on the bed and fell asleep.

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Tom Riddle eyed his hostages carefully. Tony wanted to say something, but Wendell held him in his place. He knew that Tony would spoil everything once he opened his mouth.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Voldemort or Tom Riddle said.

"I see that there are a couple missing." Isabel said, looking at Wendell and Tony.

"Not only a couple," Tom said and turned to Bellatrix, "go and find them. I want them alive."

"They're near." Isabel added with a smile.

Bellatrix bowed and left the room. Wormtail was standing behind professor McGonagall still pointing his wand at her throat. The rest of the hostages were looking frightened. Isabel's presence was dreadful for anyone in the Kingdoms, no matter what form did she take.

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Sirius opened his eyes at the sound of a humming in his ear. He sat up and looked around to see a little pixie flying around him.

"What the…"

"Watch your mouth!" she said in a tiny voice.

"You can talk?" he asked. "Who're you?"

"I'm Rose the pixie. I know what you want."

"And what do I want?"

"The girl. Snow White told me about her. I know where to find her and she's not so far from here. So, either get up or lose her forever." She said and went downstairs.

"Wait!" Sirius said and jumped out of bed and followed her. "Wait for me! I'm coming!"

"Stop shouting in the middle of the night! You'll wake the wolves up!" the pixie said.

"I thought everyone was asleep!" Sirius said.

"Not the animals."

Sirius followed her silently through the Disenchanted Forest, but he muttered curses whenever he tripped on a rock or a stump. It seemed to him that this journey was going to last forever until he saw the shadow of a ruined castle in front of him.

"Are we there yet?" he asked, just to make sure he was supposed to be there.

The pixie stopped. "This is where I bring you. The destiny of the kingdoms is in your hands."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, but the pixie had already disappeared. "Bloody hell!" Sirius cursed and headed straight at the castle. He wasn't sure weather this was the right place to be, but he went to the front door and pushed it open.

"Anybody here?" he asked and only heard the echo of his voice. He was alone. He looked at the ground floor for something familiar, but didn't find anything. He went upstairs and stood at the middle of the stairs to look at the portrait of the evil queen, which was hanging at the top of the stairs.

"So, this is how she looks like." Sirius said. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

He continued his way to the next floor and searched every room, but again, he walked out with no success.

"Where else should I look for?" he asked himself. "The dungeons!"

He found his way to the dungeons and saw a black door. He reached the doorknob and tried to open it, but it was locked.

"That was all I needed at this bloody moment! If only I had my wand!" he put his hand on the side pocket of his pants and felt something. He pulled it out. "My wand! But how…" he smiled. It was Snow White who brought him his wand. He pointed it at the door and said, "Alohomora!"

The door clicked and opened. He rushed inside and stopped at the sight of a room full of mirrors. He scanned the mirrors one after another, but they all reflected him.

"This isn't normal. This should be her most precious possession." He said. "Lia must be here. But which one?"

__

The destiny of the kingdoms is in your hands.

He heard someone in his head, but he wasn't sure if it was Snow White or not. He looked at his hands and then looked at the mirrors.

"Alright. My hands it is." He said and put his wand back in his pocket. He approached a mirror and hit it with his fists. The mirror shattered and he moved to the next one, ignoring the stinging pain in his hands. He hit the next one, and the next, and the next. Mirrors shattered into pieces, and he didn't care that his hands were bleeding. The next mirror he hit made a strong hiss before breaking into pieces. He took a few steps back and saw a gray figure crawled in a corner inside the mirror.

"Lia?" he said, not sure if it was her.

Lia looked at him and got up. Sliver tears formed in her eyes and her mouth dropped open.

"It cannot be." She said in a whisper.

"Lia is that you?" Sirius said. "You're… gray."

"You're dead, aren't you?" she asked.

"Well, not anymore." He smiled.

She walked slowly toward him, she wasn't sure if she was having a vision or not.

"John?" she asked. "John is that really you?"

"Who's John?" Sirius asked. "I'm Sirius Black."

"You're obviously not Sirius Black, he's dead. Harry told me about him. John why are you pretending to be someone else?"

"Lia, I'm not John. I don't even know who he is. I'm Sirius for heaven's sake!" Sirius said, he beginning to get annoyed. "I'm your uncle's best friend!"

"But…" Lia took a step back. "You… you look just like him. Just like John."

"Well, er… coincidence?" Sirius said with a smile, but then, his smile faded as he continued, "Listen, we don't have time to chat, we must get to Wendell's palace and get your body back."

Lia nodded and looked at his hands. "You're bleeding!"

"Er… yeah, I guess." He said. "We don't have time, come on."

"No! Wait, let me at least put a bandage on them."

"And how are you supposed to do that? You're a… ghost." He didn't like the last word, but it was true.

"So what?" she said and pointed her hand at his shirt. It took itself out of his pants and got ripped by the edge. Then she moved her hands and pointed at Sirius' hands and the pieces of his shirt wrapped themselves around his hands.

"Brilliant!" Sirius said and looked at his bandaged hands.

"Sorry for ruining your shirt, but I can't use mine," she said with a shrug. "I guess that'll prevent it from bleeding for a while." Lia said.

"Thank you." Sirius smiled. "Remind me to kiss you when you get your body back."

"Deal." She smiled back.

They walked out of the dungeons and then out of the ruined castle and headed to Wendell's palace.

"How're we supposed to get there?" Lia asked.

"I don't know. Snow White would tell me somehow." Sirius replied and at that moment a white light flashed in front of them.

"Hello Sirius, Lia." Snow White said. "I see that you found her Sirius."

"Yeah, I guess I did." He said and showed his hands.

"Oh, poor lad. Virginia will take care of it, now you have to reach the palace. I'll take you there."

"How am I supposed to get my body back?" Lia asked.

"Just get it back." Snow White replied with a smile.

Sirius felt as he was going to be blinded by the white flash that appeared around him.

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The group entered the castle. They walked close to each other and everyone, except for Wolf and Virginia, had their wands in their hands.

"Someone's coming." Wolf said as he sniffed. "A female. She stinks by the way." He added with a disgusted look on his face.

"That must be Bellatrix Lestrange." Remus said.

Harry growled. He hated Bellatrix more than any other Death Eater, for she has been the one to kill Sirius.

"Harry, calm down." Ron whispered.

A red light erupted from nowhere and Virginia fell to the ground screaming in pain.

"Virginia!" Wolf called and knelt beside her. "Oh Cripes! What's happening to her?"

"W-Wolf! H-help!" Virginia screamed in pain.

"Finite Incantatem!" Snape said and Virginia felt the pain subside. She started breathing heavily.

"Virginia, my love, are you alright?" Wolf asked, obvious concern in his eyes. He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.

"It… was… awful." She said, still gasping for breath. "My whole body hurt."

"It's over." Wolf whispered and helped her to get up.

"She will pay by her life!" Harry growled and looked around. He noticed a figure standing at a corner; he pointed his wand at it. "Stupefy!" he shouted but the figure disappeared.

"Look who's here!" Bellatrix appeared from another corner. "Baby Potty and his friends! How nice to see you…" she paused when she saw Snape. "What're _you_ doing with them?"

"That's none of your business Lestrange." Snape growled. "Relashio!" he pointed his wand at her but missed, as she jumped to a side to avoid the fiery sparks.

"That was so pathetic of you Snape." She said and pointed her wand at him. "Crucio!"

"Protego!" Snape replied and a golden shield formed in front of him and blocked the curse.

"Not bad." Bellatrix said with a smile.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Ron shouted and Harry joined him with another stunning spell.

Bellatrix ducked and they missed again.

"Harry, Ron," Remus whispered. "Cruciatus on the count of three." The boys nodded and Remus continued. "Wand at the ready. One, two, three!"

"Crucio!" Remus, Harry and Ron said at the top of their voice. The spell hit Bellatrix straight in the chest and she was pushed backwards and to the ground screaming in pain, but it didn't last for long as her voice stopped suddenly and she lay there unconscious.

"Wow!" Wolf said.

"Is she dead?" Virginia asked.

"I hope so." Harry said and walked toward Bellatrix. He looked at her with disgust. Remus approached her and put a finger on her neck to check her pulse.

"She's dead." Remus said and stood.

Harry smiled and looked at Ron who smiled at him. "Well done mate!" Ron said happily.

"Let's find the others." Snape said and moved forward.

Wolf sniffed the air and led the group to the meeting room. "They're inside." He said in a whisper.

"Virginia, you must stay out of this room no matter what." Remus said.

"But my dad's in there!" she replied.

"Virginia, please stay out of this room. I don't want you or our baby to get hurt." Wolf said. "I'll get Tony out of there. I promise."

Virginia looked into Wolf's eyes. She knew that he meant every word he said, and his promise convinced her. Wolves always keep their word.

"Alright." she was disappointed. "I'll wait here."

"No." Snape said. "You better stay away from this floor. Go to another one. Please." He added.

"Come on my cream-dreamy one. Go somewhere safe." Wolf said.

Virginia gave Wolf a quick kiss and walked away. She didn't want to leave her future husband face the evil witch alone, but she had to. After all, she was carrying his child.

It all happened so fast. The group of five blew the door open and stormed in. Flashes of red and green filled the room while the wizards dueled. Wolf helped the council members to get out of the room safely. Queen Red Riding Hood III was the last to go out.

"Hurry up Red!" Wolf shouted at her.

She ducked as red sparks flew just above her head. She reached the door and was about to get out when a huge green light filled the room and she screamed before falling to the ground.

"RED!" It was Wendell. He ran to her and carried her out of the room. She lay unconscious in his arms. "Red, please speak to me." He shook her gently, but she didn't respond.

"Red, are you alright?" Leaf Fall tried to wake her up.

"What was that green light?" Tony asked.

"I don't know Tony." Wolf replied. "There are many green lights inside that room."

"That one was strange, though." Tony said. "It was just before she fell."

Wormtail grinned at his successful spell. Ron glared at him with hatred.

"Professor McGonagall," he said and ducked to avoid another spell. "Please forgive me for what I'm about to do, but I have no other choice."

"What do you mean Mr. Weasley?" McGonagall asked and shouted, "Protego!"

"Just forgive me." Ron said and pointed his wand at Wormtail. "This is for betraying my family's trust and for betraying Harry and Sirius and Remus and everyone else. AVADA KEDAVRA!"

A green light shot out of Ron's wand and hit Wormtail. He stared at Ron with a surprised expression on his face before he fell to the ground… dead.

Red sparks hit Ron and he hit the wall behind him. He fell to the ground unconscious.

"RON!" Harry shouted and rushed to his friend's side. "Ron speak to me!"

Ron's head had hit the wall and it was bleeding. Harry put his head on Ron's chest and was relieved to hear his friend's heart beating. He got up and started casting spells randomly at Tom and Isabel, who didn't seem to know that they were two people short.

The Ice Queen closed her eyes and opened her arms wide. The room started to get colder. Thunder was heard from outside and clouds gathered above the Fourth Kingdom. Harry threw himself on Ron to cover his friend's body from the sudden storm that entered the meeting room. Remus was pushed to a wall, and Snape took McGonagall in his arms, protecting her from the storm.

Burly, the troll king, was hiding under the table, but the sudden cold in the room made him run out.

"Coward." Tony muttered as he noticed how Burly ran out of the meeting room, covering his head with both of his hands. Tony tried to keep himself from falling because of the wind and went to Wendell's side.

Isabel and Tom Riddle were shoved to a side because of the wind, which seemed to be aimed at them.

"You'll regret this Blanche!" Isabel called and waved her hand at the Ice Queen. The storm stopped and the Ice Queen fell to the ground. Isabel grinned and walked to her direction. "It seems that you're losing your touch, Blanche." She said with sarcasm.

"It's been a while since we last met, Blanch," said Riddle, "how about a payback for your unsuccessful training course?" he pointed his wand at her, "Avada Kedav…"

"Expelliarmus!" Harry said and Riddle's wand flew out of his hand. "Get out of here!" Harry told the Ice Queen and McGonagall helped her up.

"Accio wand!" Riddle said and his wand flew back to his hand. "Nice work Potter, but you won't live to celebrate it."

"In your dreams! Serpensortia!" Harry called and a large snake appeared from the tip of his wand and slithered toward Tom Riddle, who only smiled at the snake and pointed his wand at it.

"Evanesco!" Riddle muttered and the snake disappeared.

-------------------------------------------------------

Sirius and Lia appeared at the ballroom of the palace. They rushed out of it and heard voices.

"They're upstairs." Sirius said and they headed to the stairs.

Virginia was going down when she saw Sirius and Lia coming up. "Lia! Oh God you're gray!"

"Hello Virginia," Lia said with a smile, "nice to see you again."

"Who're you?" Virginia looked at Sirius.

A bark caught their attention. They turned to see Rex running to their direction.

"Rex!" Lia called and knelt to touch her dog but it passed through her and approached Virginia. He ran around her and pulled her skirt.

"What is it?" Virginia asked.

"I think that he can't see you Lia." Sirius said calmly.

"I…" Lia couldn't think. Anger rose inside of her and she felt tears scrolling down her cheeks. "I'll get her for what she did."

"Rex what is it?" Rex was pulling Virginia to the direction of the dungeons. "Don't wait for me!" she told Sirius and Lia.

"Let's go upstairs." Sirius said and climbed the stairs. Lia followed silently.

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"I'm coming! You don't have to pull me like mad!" Virginia said as she ran after Rex. She froze in front of a black door. "I don't want to get in." she told the dog with a harsh tone.

Rex barked at her and pulled her again.

"I don't want to! My mother's in there!" she said and backed away, but Rex kept pulling her skirt.

"Please Rex, don't do this to me." She was crying. "She caused me so much pain and I don't want to…" she stopped because of the white flash of light.

"Hello Virginia."

"Snow White!" Virginia gasped. "Thank goodness you're here!"

"You must enter the room Virginia." Snow White said determinedly.

"But my mother's in there. Her coffin…"

"You will not find her there Virginia. Her body was removed from there and buried right after you and Wolf went back to New York."

Virginia let out a sigh of relief. She never felt comfortable about remembering her mother. "What should I do inside?" she asked.

"You must use poison to kill the witch." Snow White said.

"I can't kill her!" Virginia exclaimed. "She has Lia's body, and…"

"Lia will take her body back. You must work together." Snow White said and disappeared.

"Great." Virginia muttered, "this is just great. I have to kill the witch and she still has Lia's body, but if I do I'd be killing Lia."

Rex barked and pulled her skirt.

"Oh yeah, we don't have time." Virginia opened the door and hesitated for a moment. She wasn't sure about what would she see inside the room, but she had to enter. Lives of many people were counting on her now. If she doesn't kill the witch, she won't live to see her unborn child.

She walked inside and looked around. Candles lit the empty room, which had a small table in the middle covered with a red velvety cloth. Virginia walked to it and saw a rose and a comb placed next to each other on the table. She recognized the rose instantly. It was the same one that Wendell had given her the night he rewarded them for saving the kingdoms. She had placed the rose on her mother's cold hands when she went to pay her last respect to her mother, and to say goodbye. She loved her mother and hated her at the same time.

She shook memories out of her head and picked up the comb, but she couldn't help it. The memory flashed into her mind as soon as her hand touched the poisoned comb. She had killed her mother with the same comb a couple of months ago.

Virginia gasped as he started to cry. This was too much for her to handle. All these memories flashing back to her. She stood there while she was supposed to go upstairs and help the others. Rex whimpered and pulled her skirt.

"I'm coming." She said and wiped her tears. She pocketed the comb and went out of the room without looking back.

She ran upstairs and saw Cinderella coming. "Cinderella! Are you alright?" she asked.

"I do not know child." Cinderella said and went to the ballroom.

"What's going on here?" Virginia asked as she saw Leaf Fall being brought down stairs by the Dwarf King and King Cole. No one answered her and she ran through the corridors until she reached Wendell's office. Rex was following her closely. She entered and saw Wendell sitting on the ground, in a corner with Queen Red Riding Hood III lying unconscious in his arms. Wendell looked grim. His cheeks were wet and his eyes red. Lia's ghost form emerged out of the meeting room.

"They're still dueling," she told Virginia, "McGonagall is injured, Snape is stunned, Ron is unconscious and I'm standing here and can't do anything about it!"

"I'm here to help." Virginia said, "Snow White said that you will take back your body."

"Yeah, take it back but how?" Lia said and she stared at Virginia as the thought hit her. "Take it back! Of course! Take it back by force!"

"Er… good idea, but Snow White said that we must do it together, but I can't figure out how would that be." Virginia said.

"Let's distract her from the duel for a moment, shall we?" Lia grinned.

They entered the meeting room slowly, Rex following them. Virginia ducked as a green light stormed right next to her ear.

"Sorry!" Sirius shouted from the far end of the room.

"Don't worry!" Virginia called back and turned to look at Isabel. "Hey!" she called.

Isabel turned to look at Virginia. "Well, well, well. Whom do I owe this amount of luck? Miss Virginia Lewis coming to me by herself." She grinned. "I have the honor to kill you with my bare hands."

"In your dreams." Virginia said and took out the comb from her pocket as she stormed toward the witch.

Isabel held a hand and Virginia was pushed to the wall. She felt like an invisible hand was holding her.

"You think you can kill me with that silly toy?" Isabel said. "That kind of magic doesn't work anymore."

She was caught off guard when Rex jumped at her and pinned her to the ground. He stared at her and growled.

"Protego!" Remus cast a protection shield in front of him and Harry. They were dueling against Tom Riddle.

"This is getting ridiculous." Virginia said as she felt herself free of the invisible grip. "Rex, leave her to me!"

Rex got off the witch and she stood up. Virginia hit her with the comb but she was fast and blocked her face. The comb touched her arm and scratched it.

"Lia, now!" Virginia called.

Lia didn't need a second thought. She ran toward the witch with all her might and hugged her tightly.

The room was filled with a white flash of light that was almost blinding. Tom Riddle closed his eyes and felt himself getting weaker.

"You will pay Potter!" he said and disappeared.

Everyone in the room closed their eyes. The light grew stronger and the ground started to shake. A large hiss was heard in the room as the light subsided and two figures fell to the ground.


	27. Gone, But Not Forgotten

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Chapter 27 - Gone, But Not Forgotten

Virginia stared at the sight in front of her. One of the bodies turned into ashes and disappeared into thin air with a hiss. She ran to the other body. Lia was back.

"Lia can you hear me?" Virginia shook Lia gently.

Lia opened her eyes and looked at Virginia and smiled. "I'm home." She said in a whisper and closed her eyes again.

"Don't you dare leave us now!" Virginia said. She put a hand on Lia's neck and was relieved to find a pulse.

Harry ran to her side. "Is she really back?" he asked.

"Yes," Virginia said, "well, at least, I hope so."

"How did she get that?" Harry pointed at the scratch on Lia's arm.

"Oh no." Virginia said in horror, "that was the poisoned comb."

Harry turned to see Remus helping Snape to get up and he removed the stunning spell.

"Professor Snape!" Harry called, "we need an antidote here!"

"We need Fawkes here." Remus said and called, "Fawkes!"

"Can he come here?" Sirius asked and his question was answered right at that moment.

Fawkes the phoenix appeared and landed next to Lia. It brought it's head near the scratch and cried. A single tear scrolled down on the scratch and it started to disappear. Fawkes flew to McGonagall's side.

"Look!" Virginia said when she saw the scratches on Lia's arm disappear.

Lia opened her eyes slowly and looked at them. "What's going on?" she asked in a tired voice.

"Oh Lia, you're back!" Harry pulled Lia in a tight hug.

"Hi Harry." Lia said.

"Virginia! Virginia are you alright?" Wolf came into the room. "I told you to stay outside!" he hugged her.

"I'm fine Wolf. It's over now." Virginia said.

"Let's get you out of here first." Wolf said and helped her get up and they walked out of the room.

Fawkes flew to Ron's side and cried on the wound of his head. It healed in an instant. Sirius carried Ron out of the meeting room, followed by Harry who was helping Lia. They went to another room. Sirius put Ron on a bed and Lia sat on a couch.

"How do you feel?" Harry asked her.

"I'm fine," she managed to smile, "you better take care of Ron. He doesn't seem good."

Harry was about to go to Ron's side when he noticed Sirius and stopped.

"Sirius?" he said, "is that really you?"

Sirius looked around him. "Well, it doesn't seem that there's someone else who looks like me in here." He smiled.

Harry smiled and hugged Sirius. "I can't believe it! You're not dead!"

"Thanks to Snow White." Sirius said and hugged Harry tighter.

"I'm sorry I made you come to the Department of Mysteries that night." Harry said, "I didn't mean to get you killed."

"It's alright Harry, and it wasn't your fault. Department of Mysteries or not, I would've came after you wherever you were at that time."

"Oh Sirius, I missed you!" Harry said.

"I missed you, too, Harry. You can't believe how hard it was to pretend to be William."

Harry pulled back. "William? You were him all the time?"

"I… knew… it." Came Ron's tired voice.

Harry turned to see his friend awake and trying to get up.

"Ron!" he went to his side. "How do you feel?"

"I had better days." Ron replied, "What happened?"

"Lia's back, the witch is gone forever and Voldemort disappeared."

To Harry's amazement Ron didn't flinch at the mention of the Dark Lord's name.

"What about the others?" Ron asked.

"They're fine, and don't try to get up. You had a nasty wound on the back of your head, but Fawkes helped you."

"Fawkes? How did he get here?"

"Dunno, but it was good to see him." Harry smiled.

Ron lay back in the bed. "May I sleep? I feel exhausted." He asked.

"Of course mate." Harry left Ron to take a nap and went to Lia's side.

Remus entered the room. "Is everyone alright in here?" he asked.

"Remus! Look who's back!" Harry said and pointed at Sirius.

"I know Harry. He was back about a week ago." Remus replied with a smile.

"You knew all the time and didn't tell me?" Harry frowned.

"I couldn't," Remus said, "Dumbledore's and Snow White's orders."

"But why?"

"Security purposes." Sirius said, "Dumbledore thought that Voldemort might try to kill me if he knew I was back."

"Oh." Harry said.

"Remus, how's McGonagall?" Sirius asked.

"She's fine. Snape's with her. They're in the next room, but I wouldn't say the same about Wendell."

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"Queen Red Riding Hood III is dead."

"What?" Sirius said in a whisper. He stormed out of the room.

"Who did it?" Harry asked.

"Wormtail," Remus said, "that's when Ron got him."

"I can't believe I missed that moment." Harry said and looked at Ron, who was asleep. He smiled at his friend with pride.

"And guess what he did before he killed him," Remus continued, "He asked McGonagall to forgive him before casting the spell."

"No way!" Harry was surprised. In the middle of the fight Ron asked for forgiveness for using the worst of the unforgivable curses.

"Well, he did, and I'm really proud of him to tell the truth." Remus smiled.

"His parents would be proud too." Lia said.

"Lia, you need to rest. Let me take you to another room." Remus said. Lia nodded and he helped her to get up. He took her to another room and helped her into bed. After pulling the bed covers over her she looked at her and smiled. "It's so nice to see you again." He said, "Sleep well." He leaned close to her and kissed her forehead and then he left the room.

Remus met Harry in the corridor and they went to Wendell's office. Wolf came out and closed the door after him.

"He wouldn't let her go." Wolf said.

"Who?" Harry asked.

"Wendell. He wouldn't let anyone near Red." Wolf's eyes were red from crying. Harry didn't know what to say. He knew perfectly how Wendell felt at this moment.

"Virginia is with him now, trying to convince him to get out," Wolf said, "but I don't think she'll succeed. I'm going to call Tony. He's the only one whom Wendell listens to."

Wolf left Remus and Harry and went to find Wendell. Harry saw some servants walking through the corridors, entering different rooms and getting out of them.

"The spell is removed." Harry said.

"Yes, the swamp witch is gone and Voldemort has lost his supporters who helped him cast the spell. It wouldn't work now." Remus said.

"He hasn't got out yet?" Tony asked as he approached them.

"No." Remus replied.

"Okay." Tony entered the office.

"SHE IS NOT DEAD!" came Wendell's voice from inside.

"Let's get in. I'm going to use magic." Remus said. He, Harry and Wolf entered the office and looked at Wendell, who was sitting in a corner holding Queen Red's body tightly in his arms.

"She's not dead. She's not dead." He kept repeating. "She'll wake up, you'll see. She has just lost consciousness. She's not injured."

Virginia was now crying into Wolf's shoulders. "He's gone mad." She whispered.

"Let's get you out of here." Wolf told her and they walked out of the room.

"Wendell," Tony said and knelt next to him, "she's gone. There's nothing you can do now. Let's go to your room now. Come on."

"Leave me!" Wendell demanded.

Remus took out his wand and pointed it at Wendell. "Impedimenta!" he said and Wendell's body went rigid. "Sorry Your Majesty, but I had to do it."

Remus levitated Wendell's body and took him to a near room. He couldn't remember which one was the room Sirius was using when they first got here, so he took Wendell to the first empty room he found.

Lord Rupert came and when he saw Wendell's body hanging in the air, he gasped. "What happened?"

"Long story." Sirius said. "You'll know it later." He carried Red's body and walked out of the office. "Where should I take her?" he asked.

Lord Rupert looked confused. "The guestroom. Upstairs." He showed Sirius the way to the guestroom.

Sirius put Red's body on the bed and left the room quickly. Harry was heading into his direction.

"Sirius, are you alright?" Harry asked.

"Yes." Sirius replied, trying to control his emotions.

"What's wrong with your hands?"

Sirius looked at his injured hands and smiled. "Nothing," he said, "I'll just have to see Virginia."

Harry followed his godfather down the corridor and they went to a room where Wolf was comforting his wife. Sirius knocked the door and entered.

"Sirius! You're here!" Wolf hadn't noticed Sirius during the mayhem at the meeting room.

"I've been here quite a while," Sirius chuckled, "I needed to see Virginia." He showed them his hands.

"My God!" Virginia wiped her tears and got up from the chair she was sitting on. "Let me get you some clean bandages."

A maid walked into the room and bowed. "Miss Virginia, Master Wolf."

"You're awake!" Wolf said, "That means we broke the spell! Huff-puff!" he hugged the maid, who was startled by Wolf's sudden happiness. "You don't know how good it is to see you!"

"Thank you, Sir." The maid said with a smile.

"We need some clean bandages and whatever you can find to clean wounds." Virginia said.

"I'll bring them now, Miss Virginia." The maid said and left the room.

Virginia turned to Sirius, "Sit down, please."

"Virginia, this is Sirius," Wolf said, "he's Harry's godfather." Then he turned to Sirius, "Sirius, this is my Virginia."

"Nice to meet you Virginia." Sirius said with a smile.

"Nice to meet you too." Virginia smiled back.

The maid came back with clean bandages and some water and alcohol. She put them on a table and went out.

Virginia took off the bandages form Sirius' hands and started washing his wounds with water. Then she took the bottle of alcohol and a bandage.

"This is going to hurt." She said and started cleaning his wounds with the alcohol.

Sirius winced but didn't make a sound. Virginia continued cleaning the wounds and then she wrapped Sirius' hands with new bandages.

"Thanks." Sirius said.

"You're welcome," Virginia replied, "how did it happen anyway?"

"I found Lia in an old castle, which belonged to the witch." Sirius said, "She was trapped in a mirror. I had to break them all before I could find her."

"Cripes! She was so near all the time!" Wolf said.

"But who could've guessed?" Virginia said, "The swamp witch had left that castle since Snow White's wedding day."

"It seems that she still had some precious items hidden there after all." Sirius said and sighed, "I can't believe we actually got rid of her."

"Yeah, but Voldemort escaped." Harry said with a frown.

"Don't worry about him. He's on his own now, and whatever he does, it won't last for long. He doesn't have any supporters now." Wolf said.

"What about Bellatrix? I didn't see her anywhere." Sirius said.

"She's dead." Harry said.

"Dead?"

"Yes. Three Cruciatus Curses at once and she didn't last for even an instant." Harry said.

"Who cast it?" Sirius asked.

"Me, Ron and Remus."

"Oh I love the three of you!" Sirius said and gave Harry a tight hug.

"You're not mad that we killed your cousin?" Harry asked.

"Your cousin?" Virginia asked.

"She's the one who killed me on the first place." Sirius said.

"Oh," Virginia said, "then I guess… it's okay."

Wolf held Virginia's hand and smiled to her. "It was the right thing to do." He said to her.

"Yes," she replied, "it was."

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The Palace of White was being cleaned after the mess. The residents of the nine kingdoms were awake from their sleep and were trying to get back to normal life. The news about the swamp witch being defeated and gone forever had filled the kingdoms in an instant. The royal families were in the Second Kingdom preparing for the funeral.

Wendell was devastated. He couldn't believe that his childhood friend was dead. He stood near her glass coffin staring at her pale face. She looked as she was smiling. Like she knew that they've won.

"Wendell," Virginia whispered.

"I can't believe that she's gone." He said and sniffed, "we used to fight all the time when we were children. Our parents kept punishing us for fighting, but that didn't stop us." He chuckled, "she used to call me prince charming."

"She will always be with us." Virginia said.

"Why did it have to be now?" Wendell asked, "now that I wanted to tell her how I felt. Everyone used to think that she's not my type, even me, but when I saw her at my coronation, I saw a woman who was full of energy and…" he left the words trail off. He couldn't continue.

"Come, let's go." Virginia held his hand and they walked away.

Wolf was sitting in a corner, looking at the coffin from a distance. He didn't cry. He couldn't. Remus came and sat next to him.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I don't know." Wolf replied, "I feel like something's missing."

Remus didn't reply. He looked at Wolf with sympathy.

"She was my cousin." Wolf continued, "although she never admitted it, but she showed it sometimes when we were kids. We met a couple of times before my parents were killed. After that I went on my way and someday I heard that she was already a queen. I never saw her until Wendell's coronation day. She pretended that she didn't recognize me, but she did. As the queen of the Second Kingdom, she wasn't supposed to like wolves, not to mention having a wolf as a relative, and I understand her totally." Wolf turned his gaze to look at the ceiling; "we never saw each other after the coronation. She didn't even talk to me. She didn't sign the Royal Wolf Pardon, because she loathed wolves." He looked at the glass coffin again, "But I miss her. She was a great queen for her kingdom. She knew how to control everyone."

"She's gone, but not forgotten." Remus said and looked into Wolf's eyes.

Wolf wanted to cry. He wanted to howl so the nine kingdoms would know of his loss, and he decided to do it. He got up and walked to the nearest window. He opened it and dropped his head to the back and howled with all his might. Everyone in the room turned to look at him. Women gasped and started to cry. They could feel the pain in his voice. Virginia walked to his side. She put a hand on his back and he turned to face her. Tears were filling his eyes.

"Let it out." Virginia whispered and he buried his face in her arms. He cried and Virginia held him close to her tightly. "It's okay Wolf," she whispered, "I know how you feel, and I feel the same."

Harry was sitting next to Lia, his head on her shoulder. She was holding his hand and looking at Wolf who was still crying into his fiancée's arms. Rex was lying at her feet, looking at her with concerned eyes.

"I'm glad I killed him," Ron said. He was sitting next to Harry.

Harry sat straight and turned to Ron. "You did the right thing mate, and I don't regret anything I did. They deserved it."

"But she didn't." Ron said, and Harry knew he was talking about Red. "She was just trying to get out of the room."

"I know, mate."

"I can't believe I kept that rat all that time in my house, in my own bed." Ron said, "and suddenly, he turns out to be the one who caused your parents to die and sent your godfather to Azkaban, and now, he killed a queen. He's dead, but Voldemort escaped."

"We will get him. He won't stand being on his own, without his followers." Harry said.

"I hope so." Ron replied.

------------------------------------------------------------

On the next day, Harry and Ron were exploring the gardens of the Palace of White when Sirius came to meet them.

"I was searching for you!" Sirius said, "we're leaving in a few minutes."

"Leaving?" Ron said, "brilliant! I can't wait to be back home!"

They went inside the castle and headed to the mirror room. Everyone was seated at the large table. Sirius, Harry and Ron entered and sat at the table, too.

"I want to say that I was honored to meet you all," Wendell said, "and I want to thank you for your effort to save our kingdoms. I am hoping that we shall meet again someday in the future."

"It was a pleasure to meet you, too, Your Majesty." Professor McGonagall said.

"We'll miss you." Virginia told Lia, "It was so nice to meet you."

"I hope that we'll meet again." Lia replied.

"I'm sure we will," Wolf said, "we have the mirror!"

Lia smiled, "come to visit us as much as you can."

"We will." Virginia said and hugged Lia.

Remus came near Wolf. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Wolf."

"Thanks Remus." Wolf said as he shook Remus' hand. "I hope that you'll be able to send me some of that potion you use at full moon."

"I will, don't worry about it." Remus replied.

After saying their good-bye's the magical folk walked through the Mirror of Magic and returned to the wizarding world. They appeared at the Forbidden Forest and walked toward the school.


	28. Desire and mystery

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A/N: Sorry for the delay for the update. This chapter was ready last week but I couldn't upload it. Anyway, here it is!

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Miss Piratess: Thanks! I liked the reunion too :) Ron would become serious in this story, that's how I see him here.

**Luna:** Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it, and the end isn't here yet :) no worries!

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Chapter 28 - Desire and mystery

Professor Dumbledore met the group at the Entrance Hall with a smile. They all looked exhausted, for the exception of Ron and Harry, who were happy to be back. They were planning on writing to Hermione to tell her about their short visit to the Nine Kingdoms. Professor Dumbledore led them to the Great Hall where they saw a rectangular table in the middle. Teachers who were staying at Hogwarts were seated at it and they stood up and applauded when the group entered. Ron and Harry looked at each other and smiled. They all sat at the table and Professor Dumbledore stood up.

"Welcome back, my friends," he said, "I am proud of you all. You have managed to help in saving nine kingdoms from a fatal destiny. There are no words that would express my feelings at this moment, so I'm not going to say any. Voldemort has escaped, I know. That's so typical of him, so do not worry. We will defeat him someday, and that day will soon approach. Now, I'm starving and I'm sure you, too. So, enough talking and let us have our little lunch."

Within a second, the table was full of different kinds of food. They all started eating and drinking. Harry was chatting with Sirius happily, and didn't notice his cousin staring at Sirius.

"Lia, are you all right?" Remus whispered.

Lia sighed and turned to face him, "I'm fine, Remus."

"May I note that you were staring at Sirius since we got here?"

Lia nodded.

"What is it Lia? Did he hurt you?" Remus asked.

"No, he hasn't done anything," she replied and looked into Remus' eyes, "I don't want to talk about it now, if you please."

"It's okay," Remus could see sadness in her eyes, but he couldn't understand the reason behind it. "You know you can trust me. If you need to talk... well, at least I can be a good listener if I can't help."

"Thanks," Lia replied with a smile and continued her meal.

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Harry spent the whole day with Sirius, while Ron went to see Hagrid. Lia was no where to be seen. Remus locked himself in his room and the other professors were in their offices preparing for the next term. Professor McGonagall spend the rest of the day at the Hospital Wing with Madam Pomfrey, while Professor Snape went to the Headmaster's office to give his report.

"Did he see you, Severus?" Dumbledore asked after listening to Snape.

"Of course, Remus and I were dueling against him," Snape replied, adding an icy tone to Remus' name.

"He's alone now. The rest of his supporters are in Azkaban," said Dumbledore and started pacing.

"And I hope they won't break out," Snape continued for him.

"Yes, hope is a good thing indeed."

Snape got up, "is there anything else you wish to know Headmaster?"

"Were there any casualties on our side?"

"Only one," Snape looked at the floor, "Queen Red Riding Hood III, the queen of the Second Kingdom."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrow. Snape hadn't told him about that part of the incident.

"Tell me more, Severus. Who did it?" Dumbledore asked.

"Pettigrew, and Mr. Weasley killed him."

"How thoughtful of him. Remind me to give some extra points to Gryffindor as soon as the new term starts."

"Of course, Headmaster," Snape said, trying to hide the coldness in his voice. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm feeling rather tired."

"Of course, Severus. You may leave," Dumbledore smiled.

Snape left the office and headed to the dungeons. He was tired, but he wasn't in the mood for a rest. Dumbledore has just asked him to remind him to give the weasel some house points! How could he rest after that?

He slammed the door of his office shut and kicked a chair out of his way while he headed to the storeroom. A nice potion brewing would give his mind something to concentrate on, upon which he will have his desired rest. He would shut himself from the world surrounding him by standing behind his cauldron and pouring different ingredients in it while cursing the day he had become a Death Eater. The day he had been assigned as the Potions Master of the school, the day he had decided to become a spy for Dumbledore and join the Order of the Phoenix, and the day he had met Harry Potter. Son of James Potter and godson of Sirius Black. He mixed the ingredients before putting the cauldron on fire, then coated the cauldron with a sticky liquid. No one would dare to disturb him now. He was busy. He was making a potion that even he didn't know the name of. He picked the ingredients randomly, taking notes of the quantity of each ingredient, and how much did he add to the cauldron. He wrote down each and every step of his work, putting an invisibility charm on each parchment he used.

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Sirius and Harry were sitting under the oak tree in the school grounds.

"So, tell me about your summer so far," Sirius asked.

"Well," Harry said, "I was miserable at the beginning. Losing you and having to live with the Dursley's who were happy to know about your death. Then, I received a letter from Mrs. Weasley inviting me to their house. The bright part started there. I met Lia and I was so happy to know that I have a cousin, although my aunt is dead."

"Yeah, too bad we didn't know where she was," Sirius said.

"Why didn't you know? Wasn't she speaking with you or dad at the time?"

"We were on good terms, but she fell in love with a muggle and married him. After that we never heard of her. She preferred living a muggle life to protect her only daughter from a fatal destiny."

"What was that?" Harry asked.

"Voldemort wanted Emily to join him, but she refused. She warded her house and daughter to keep him away from her. But somehow Voldemort found a way to her house."

Harry knew the rest of it. His aunt was murdered.

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"Yer not supposed ter pat it!" Hagrid yelled as Ron held his hand and squeaked in pain. "They're bloody dangerous and yeh know it!"

"I forgot!" Ron said and waved his burning hand in the air to cool it a bit.

"Yeh better go ter see Madam Pomfrey, Ron. These baby Blast Ended Skrewts won't go anywhere."

"I don't want to get near them, thank you very much." Ron blew at his fingers softly.

"Yeh better go now," Hagrid said, "no, wait… I'll come with yeh."

Hagrid took the crate with the baby skrewts and put it outside his cottage and escorted Ron to the Hospital Wing.

"Are you going to make us deal with them this year too?" Ron asked.

"That's fer fifth years. Yeh've passed tha' level." Hagrid replied.

"Oh… sounds better," Ron said and smiled at Hagrid, who smiled back.

They reached the Hospital Wing at the moment Professor McGonagall was leaving.

"What happened to your hands, Mr. Weasley?" she asked as she noticed Ron's hands.

"Blast Ended Skrewts," Ron replied and she nodded with pursed lips.

"Better be careful next time," she said and walked away.

"Good thing she can't take off house points, eh?" Ron said to Hagrid who nodded.

Madam Pomfrey read a lecture about safety precautions while dealing with magical creatures, and Ron winced at each time she touched his hands. She seemed to be causing pain to him on purpose, as to make him become more careful next time he was near any kind of a magical creature.

As soon as she finished attending his hands, she wrapped a clean bandage around them and he left the Hospital Wing with Hagrid, who took him to the Gryffindor Tower.

"Yeh should get some rest," Hagrid said, "tha' trip was full o' surprises fer yeh. Besides, I need ter see wha're Fang an' Rex up ter."

"Yeah, okay," Ron replied.

"Go into yer dorm an' get a nap. I'll see yeh at dinner."

Ron smiled and went into the Gryffindor common room, and then to his dormitory.

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Lia was sitting in front of a golden framed mirror looking at herself, standing with her husband and daughter. She was looking into the Mirror of Erised.

She missed her boyfriend and the only way to see him was either to look at Sirius Black, or come into this room and stare at the image in the mirror. She looked at her desired little family with longing. What if John was still alive? How would her life been if he was by her side all these years? She kept questioning herself and thinking about her past without realizing that darkness was filling the room. It was getting dark outside and no one knew where she was, but she didn't care. They would search for her, maybe. However, she wanted to stay here, to look at the mirror for hours. To be with the love of her life one more time.

All her life she dreamt about living in a cottage at the countryside with a husband and a daughter. She liked the peace of mind that the countryside offered. She would have a little garden to attend to and she would have a lot of space to play with her daughter.

When she met John she was uncertain of his intentions toward her, but he proved to be trustworthy and he loved her. Lia was starting to believe that her dreams were becoming true. If only he wasn't at her house that Christmas evening…

Lia put her head in her hands and rested her elbows on her knees. She didn't want to cry, but tears were forcing their way out of her eyes.

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"Harry, have you seen Lia?" Remus asked as he met Harry and Sirius at the Entrance Hall.

"No, isn't she in her room?" Harry asked.

"No, and I didn't see her after lunch. I thought she was with you."

"Maybe she's at Hagrid's," Sirius said.

"Maybe, I can go and ask," Harry suggested but Remus shook his head.

"Don't bother. I only wanted to check her schedule with her. Besides, she'll be down for dinner anyway."

"Which reminds me," Sirius said, his hands rubbing his stomach. "I'm hungry."

Remus and Harry laughed, and Sirius joined them. They walked to the Great Hall and sat at the table waiting for the others to come.

"I would really like to see the face of your aunt and uncle," Sirius said, "They know I'm dead, don't they?"

"Yes," Harry replied, "but they also know about Moody, who happens to be "an ugly and rude man" for Uncle Vernon."

"Well, at least that ought to teach him not to mess with you."

"He kept avoiding me, which is good."

"What're you talking about?" Ron sat next to Harry.

"You forgot to comb your hair this time?" Harry asked his friend.

"Maybe," Ron yawned.

"At least someone got to get a nap," Remus said with a smile.

"We are occupied men," Sirius said in a teasing manner, "we have so much business to attend that we cannot close an eye." He finished his sentence with a dramatic sigh.

"Well, Ron, it seems you're not an 'occupied man,'" Harry teased his friend.

"At least I get to sleep," Ron replied and they laughed.

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After dinner Harry and Ron went to the Gryffindor Tower and started writing a letter to Hermione, telling her about their short adventure to the nine kingdoms.

Remus and Sirius went to the Astronomy Tower and stared at the sky.

"Remember when we used to come here to write the map?" Remus asked.

"How can I forget? McGonagall was furious when she found us once. I remember it like it was yesterday," Sirius replied.

"James couldn't spend one detention without seeing Lily first."

"The prat was lucky to win her heart," Sirius smiled.

"Yes," Remus said and looked at the sky. "I miss them, you know."

"I miss them, too. It's been almost fifteen years since… you know."

Remus nodded. He remembered that night perfectly. The house was a mess. James lying motionless downstairs, while Lily was in the same state upstairs in Harry's room.

Sirius seemed to know what Remus was thinking of and he decided to change the subject.

"Have you seen Lia?" he asked.

Remus shook his head. "Not after lunch, anyway. I wonder where she is."

"Should we search for her? She might be lost in the castle."

"It's almost ten o'clock. Maybe she's in her room."

"Let's go to her room first," Sirius suggested, "if she's not there, we'll start searching somewhere else."

"By the way," Remus said as they headed to the stairs, "have you noticed how she was staring at you at lunch?"

"No," Sirius replied, "was she?"

"Yes, and when I asked her what was wrong, she didn't tell me."

"That's odd," Sirius said.

They reached Lia's room and knocked the door. There was no answer.

"Looks like she's not here," Sirius said.

"I wonder where she is," Remus looked around as if Lia was going to show up from some corner.

"Why don't we use the map?" Sirius asked.

"Good idea," Remus replied and they headed to the Gryffindor Tower.

They reached the portrait of the Fat Lady and realized that they don't have the password.

"Great! Now how are we supposed to get in?" Sirius asked in frustration.

"Password?" asked the Fat Lady.

"Er… we don't have it," Remus said, "but we need to get inside, so if you…"

"No password, no entrance. Sorry, that's the rules."

"Bloody wards," Sirius muttered.

"I heard that!" the Fat Lady said, folding her arms on her chest. "And congratulations on defeating the evil at the kingdoms," she added monotonously.

"Thank you," Remus and Sirius replied together.

At that moment, the portrait moved to a side and Harry and Ron came out of the hole.

"You don't know how good it is to see you two!" Sirius said.

"Sirius, are you feeling all right?" Harry asked.

"I'm quite fine, thank you. What's the password?"

"Unicorn," Harry said.

"You just came out!" the fat Lady said and was about to move to a side when Harry held a hand.

"I wasn't talking to you, so there's no need to open the door."

"Good," she said.

"Harry, do you have the Marauders map?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, it's upstairs in my dorm," Harry replied.

"Could you get it please?"

"Sure," Harry said and turned to the portrait. "Unicorn."

"Now what?!" the Fat Lady said angrily, "oh, all right!"

The portrait moved to a side and Harry went inside. He cam back after a few moments with a parchment in his hand.

"Here," he gave the map to Remus.

"Thank you. We'll return this as soon as we're finished," Remus said.

"See ya!" Sirius called as he followed Remus to the corridors.

"What do they need it for?" Ron asked.

"Dunno," Harry replied, "but we better go and send this letter."

"Yeah, let's go."

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Remus opened the parchment and tapped it with his wand.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

The map revealed itself and Sirius joined Remus in searching every corner of Hogwarts for Lia.

"She's on the seventh floor!" Sirius said, pointing at a black dot with the label "Lia Jones" written next to it.

"In the room of requirement? Why did she go there?" Remus asked.

"We'll find out. Come on," Sirius said and headed to the staircase.

"Mischief managed," Remus muttered and tapped the map. The writings disappeared and he followed Sirius to the seventh floor.

"It should be somewhere here," Remus asked and started to pace back and forth thinking about the room Lia was in.

"There's the door!" Sirius said, pointing at a door that wasn't there a moment ago.

They opened the door and entered. The room seemed to be an abandoned one and there was an enormous mirror standing in the middle of it. They saw Lia sleeping on the ground, in front of the mirror.

"Why did she want to come to this room?" Sirius asked.

"Let's wake her up, first."

Remus knelt next to Lia and shook her gently.

"Lia, wake up."

Lia opened her eyes and sat up quickly.

"What's wrong? Where am I?" she asked in a sleepy voice.

"You were sleeping on the cold floor Lia," Remus said and helped her to stand up. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I fell asleep," she said and noticed Sirius standing behind Remus. He smiled at her, and she looked at the mirror. She saw the reflection of herself with John and their little daughter who was playing with a doll now.

"Are you sure you're feeling all right?" Remus asked.

"Yeah… I'm perfect," she replied, "I just needed some time to be alone."

She didn't want to tell them what she saw in the mirror. It was her private issue.

"You better go to your room and get a sleep. At least it would be warmer there," Sirius said.

Lia nodded and walked toward the door.

"Lia?" Remus called.

Lia stopped and turned to face him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

Lia shook her head and left the room.

"Padfoot, there's something in her mind that I must find out," Remus said.

"Ask little old Snivellus to do that," Sirius said, "he's good at Occlumency and Legilimency."

"You're right, I'll ask him about it tomorrow."

"I was only joking!" Sirius said, "I'll go to the Gryffindor Tower. I miss my old bed."

"I'll be in my room if you need me," Remus said.

"All right, see you tomorrow."

"Good night."

Sirius went to the Gryffindor Tower while Remus headed for the Western Tower where his room was located. Remus was determined to find out what was bothering Lia when Sirius is in the same room with her.


End file.
